# What does an Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC) do?

Source: https://www.roamlytravel.com/guides/educational-visits-coordinator-role  
Publisher: Roamly Travel  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-30  
Audience: Schools

## Short answer

An Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC) is the person in a school who oversees educational visits on behalf of the headteacher and governors. DfE guidance says schools should appoint one and make sure they have the training they need. The EVC checks visit plans, leader competence, providers, consent and emergency arrangements, supports the approval decision, and keeps records of visits, accidents and near misses. If a school has no EVC, the headteacher takes on the role.

## Key takeaways

- DfE guidance says schools should appoint an EVC and ensure they are trained. OEAP says it is good practice, and an employer's policy may make it a requirement.
- The EVC should be an experienced visit leader with enough standing in the school to guide colleagues. The role is not purely administrative.
- The EVC checks and advises on a trip. The headteacher, governing board and often the employer approve it.
- OEAP recommends EVC training followed by revalidation at least every three years.
- The EVC keeps records of visits, including accident and near-miss reports, and makes sure visits are evaluated.

## What is an Educational Visits Coordinator?

DfE's guidance on [health and safety on educational visits](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits) says schools should appoint an educational visits coordinator and make sure they have the training they need. The EVC should be an experienced visit leader who can assess the competence of staff, check outside providers, and advise the headteacher and governors when they approve trips. If the school has no EVC, the headteacher takes on the role by default.

The Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel (OEAP) describes the EVC in National Guidance document 3.4j. It calls the post good practice for every establishment and notes that an employer's policy may make it a requirement. Check your own employer's educational visits policy for the formal job description, because local authorities and academy trusts set their own approval routes.

## What does an EVC actually do?

OEAP lists the key functions. The table groups them by the question each one answers.

*EVC functions (OEAP National Guidance 3.4j)*

| Area | What the EVC does |
| --- | --- |
| Planning | Supports and oversees planning, and checks it meets the employer's requirements and is submitted for approval within agreed timescales. |
| Legal duties | Helps the head ensure the school meets its duty of care and legal requirements. |
| Leaders | Makes sure leaders are competent for the visits they lead, and mentors new ones. |
| Vetting | Makes sure DBS checks are in place where they are needed. |
| Parents | Supports leaders to inform parents and obtain consent where it is required. |
| Emergencies | Makes sure emergency arrangements are sufficient and that each visit has an emergency contact. |
| Approval | Supports the head, governors or trustees in approval decisions. |
| Review | Makes sure visits are reviewed and evaluated, shares good practice and follows up issues. |
| Records | Keeps records of individual visits, including accident and near-miss reports. |
| Reporting | Keeps the head and governors informed about the visits taking place. |

## Where does the EVC sit in approving a trip abroad?

Most overseas trips go through three layers. The **visit leader** drafts the plan, itinerary and visit-specific risk assessment. The **EVC** checks it. The **headteacher, governing board and often the employer** approve it. DfE guidance says headteachers or governing boards give informed approval for trips that need a risk assessment. Many local authorities and academy trusts also require overseas and residential trips to be submitted to their outdoor education adviser through an online system, often weeks or months before departure.

For the content of the assessment itself, see our guide to the [school trip risk assessment](https://www.roamlytravel.com/guides/school-trip-risk-assessment-uk). The EVC does not replace the visit leader's responsibility to plan the trip. They provide a second, experienced check before anyone is asked to sign it off.

## What does the EVC check on an overseas trip?

- **Staffing.** That the number and mix of adults fits the risk assessment and the employer's policy. See our guide to [staff to pupil ratios on school trips abroad](https://www.roamlytravel.com/guides/how-many-teachers-per-pupil-school-trip-abroad).
- **Providers.** DfE says schools must check that outside organisations have appropriate safety standards and public liability insurance, and recommends the LOtC Quality Badge or similar accreditation. The EVC advises on this.
- **Medical and SEND information.** That needs have been collected early and the plan makes reasonable adjustments.
- **Consent and information for parents.** That consent forms cover medical treatment, data sharing and financial terms.
- **Insurance.** That the policy fits the destination, activities and everyone travelling.
- **Emergency arrangements.** That there is a named home contact reachable throughout the trip, and that leaders know the emergency and communications plans. DfE expects schools to have both.

> **Adventure activities need approval first**
> DfE guidance says activities such as caving, climbing, trekking and watersports must be identified and risk assessed before the visit, and staff must not decide to add them during the trip. The EVC is often the person who spots an unapproved add-on in an itinerary, such as a hotel pool or beach swim.

## Who can be an EVC, and what training do they need?

OEAP says the person appointed should be specifically competent for the role. They should be an experienced visit leader with enough status in the school to guide the working practice of colleagues. Some tasks can be delegated to an administrator, but the role is not just administrative. Where the EVC does not meet these criteria, OEAP says they need structured support from a designated colleague who does.

- OEAP recommends all EVCs undertake EVC training, then revalidation at least every three years, delivered by a trained OEAP EVC trainer.
- The EVC should have access to expert advice from the employer, such as a competent outdoor education adviser.
- Leaders and helpers still need training for their own roles. The EVC checks that their competence has been assessed.

Scotland uses its own national framework, [Going Out There](https://sapoe.org.uk/going-out-there/), and Northern Ireland schools follow their employing authority's guidance, so the exact terminology and approval route can differ outside England.

## What happens after the trip?

DfE expects a clear evaluation process. The EVC makes sure incidents, accidents and near misses are recorded and that lessons feed into the school's generic risk assessments and the plan for the next trip. Our [group travel emergency plan guide](https://www.roamlytravel.com/guides/group-travel-emergency-plan) covers how to run a post-incident review, and our guide to the post-trip review covers routine debriefs.

## How Roamly can help

Roamly supplies the itinerary, accommodation, transport and supplier contact details an EVC needs to check a trip, and can help build the timeline for submitting it for approval. Use the free [trip timeline builder](https://www.roamlytravel.com/trip-timeline-builder) and [travel risk assessment tool](https://www.roamlytravel.com/travel-risk-assessment) as starting points, or see our [consulting service](https://www.roamlytravel.com/services/consulting). Approval and risk assessment stay with the school. [Contact us](https://www.roamlytravel.com/contact) to discuss a trip.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is a school legally required to have an EVC?

DfE guidance says schools should appoint one, which is a recommendation. OEAP says an employer's policy may make it a requirement. If there is no EVC, the headteacher takes on the function.

### Can a headteacher be the EVC?

Yes. DfE says that where a school has no EVC, the headteacher takes on the role. A school that appoints a separate EVC gets a second experienced check on each plan before the head approves it.

### What is the difference between an EVC and a visit leader?

The visit leader plans and runs a specific trip. The EVC oversees all visits for the school, checks plans, leader competence and arrangements, and supports the approval decision.

### Does the EVC go on the trip?

Not necessarily. The role is oversight and support for all visits. An EVC may also lead a trip, in which case your employer's policy should say who checks that plan.

## Sources

- [DfE: Health and safety on educational visits](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits)
- [OEAP National Guidance 3.4j: Educational Visits Coordinator responsibilities](https://oeapng.info/downloads/download-info/3-4j-evc-responsibilities/)
- [OEAP National Guidance 7.1r: Overseas Visits](https://oeapng.info/downloads/download-info/7r-overseas-visits/)
- [HSE: School trips](https://www.hse.gov.uk/education/school-trips.htm)
- [SAPOE: Going Out There](https://sapoe.org.uk/going-out-there/)