UKSA Isle of Wight Residential Educational Trips

UKSA welcomes more than 6,000 young people from schools, colleges and youth groups each year to our unique 4-acre waterfront campus in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Our residential programmes combine water sports, outdoor adventure and team-building activities within a safe and supportive environment. Every visit is tailored to the needs of your group, making UKSA an ideal choice for enrichment visits, reward trips, Year 6 residentials, Year 7 and 8 team-building experiences, and youth group programmes.

Students can take part in activities including sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding, windsurfing, raft building and on-the-water team challenges. We also offer opportunities to gain recognised qualifications and can adapt programmes to suit different abilities and additional needs.

Alongside daytime activities, students enjoy a programme of supervised evening entertainment, helping them make new friendships, try new experiences and get the most from their time away.

Residential school trips Isle of Wight / Accommodation South East / Outdoor residential centres South East

As a maritime youth charity, UKSA believes that learning happens most effectively when young people are challenged, supported and encouraged to step outside their comfort zones.

Participation in water sports and outdoor learning provides opportunities for students to develop communication skills, work collaboratively, solve problems and take responsibility for their own decisions. These experiences help young people gain confidence in their abilities while encouraging a positive attitude towards challenge and achievement.

Our Skills for Life framework focuses on six key areas of personal development: communication, decision-making, participation, self-belief, determination and resilience. We measure students’ perceptions of these skills and share insights with schools, helping to demonstrate the wider impact of the experience beyond the activities themselves.

Whether your objective is team building, personal development, enrichment or helping young people discover what they are capable of achieving, our programmes are designed to create meaningful outcomes for every participant.

UKSA is accredited by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. Our site, facilities and activities have all been evaluated for learning and safety by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority and meet the exacting standards required to pass annual inspections.

Our all-inclusive residential packages are designed to make organising your trip as straightforward as possible.

Residential programmes typically include:

• Sole-occupancy dormitory accommodation with coded access
• Separate leader rooms located within the same accommodation block
• Full-board catering, including breakfast, packed lunch and evening meal
• Return ferry travel from Southampton or Portsmouth
• Daily water sports, outdoor adventure and team-building activities
• Fully supervised evening entertainment
• Wetsuits, buoyancy aids and specialist safety equipment
• One complimentary leader place for every 10 participants
• Dedicated social and relaxation spaces for students
• Secure campus with CCTV, perimeter fencing and controlled access

Everything is provided on one site, allowing schools to focus on enjoying the experience while our experienced team takes care of the details.

UKSA’s large 4-acre secure site means we can accommodate groups of all sizes; small or large (up to 200+ people).

With our proximity to the water, we don’t always recommend children bringing cameras and other electronics however teachers and leaders are welcome to take photos of their group.

The safety, well-being, and enjoyment of those visiting UKSA are our number one priority. We are a home-from-home for our young people and pride ourselves on our exemplary safety protocols that sit within a robust and fully compliant framework.

We have risk assessments for all of our day and evening activities, as well as for all of our sites used. Teachers are more than welcome to complete their own risk assessments or ask the team any queries they may have.

Residential trips depend upon the time of the year and length of stay.

• Prices start at £290 for a 3-day weekend (low season) to a 5-day week (high season) at £610 – full board, watersports activities, evening entertainment, and accommodation. For every 10 students, there is a leaders place free of charge.
• B&B £60 per person per night
• Full Board from £80 per person per night

With the generous support of individuals and donors, we have funding available for those children who do not have the financial support to join their classmates on a residential trip – leave no child behind! By choosing UKSA you’ll not only be giving your group a fun and memorable experience, you’ll also be helping to support transformational opportunities for thousands of other young people.

All our Watersports and evening entertainment instructors are fully qualified first aiders.

Onsite facilities include:

• Dormitory style accommodation blocks
• Dining room and in-house catering serving freshly cooked meals
• Indoor heated swimming pool
• Full-sized sports hall
• Drying room for wet kit
• Changing rooms and toilets
• Wi-Fi
• Bar (The Bridge)
• Dedicated young person’s chillout area
• Study areas and classrooms

UKSA welcome individuals with special educational and disabled needs, all on and off the water activities are adaptable and inclusive. We are accessible with disabled access and suitably adapted accommodation blocks with flexible bedrooms. Lifts are situated in our main building with a hoist for the swimming pool. We are also able to take disabled people out onto the water using a hoist from our pontoons to boats. Please speak to our dedicated Schools and Groups team so we can ensure we meet your needs.

We are open all year round, with the exception of a few days over the Christmas period.

Sally Hodgson from Beacon View Primary School reported on the impact of their visit a year on: “When we brought our year 5 group last year we saw so many positive impacts for individual children, small groups of children and for the whole group. As year 6 pupils now, they are more focused, have positive attitudes and are prepared to risk striving for the very best from themselves – a lot of this is down to the experiences they were able to have on their week at UKSA.”

Christopher Davy from Washwood Heath Academy comments: “Almost all our pupils live in an area of deprivation. Our school serves an intensely culturally diverse community, many of whom are using English as a second language and many who have little or no experience outside of the city. The eye-opening, cultural and physical experience of a trip to UKSA is without question one of the biggest factors in engaging these students in a positive way in school, and in their own lives, going forwards. We are extremely grateful to UKSA for the funding that we received.”

“I collected my son this morning, he has had the best weekend. He loved all the activities, raved about the food and even told me how nice the rooms were. It was his first weekend away from home as well as his first school trip in 2 years, thank you for making it so memorable for him.” Parent of student from Barton Primary School

Our unique all-inclusive packages include return ferry travel from Portsmouth or Southampton, dormitory accommodation, home-cooked meals and drinks, tuition, and evening entertainment. We offer complimentary teacher familiarisation weekends with no obligation to book – it’s an opportunity for you to look around our base and discuss what we can offer your school

UKSA is easily accessible from Southampton ferry terminals. We are a ten minute walk from the heart of Cowes where the foot passenger terminal is location, or a short hop across the river to the car ferry terminal. Many groups enjoy getting a boat directly to our pontoons, which we can arrange.

Our dormitory style accommodation blocks contain self-contained 4-8 berth bunk rooms with separate bathrooms, single and twin rooms available for leaders. All groups have sole occupancy of an accommodation area.

Our dedicated Schools and Groups team can be contacted on 01983 203045 or schools@uksa.org.