Pupils have travelled the globe and visited countries as far afield as America, Africa, Spain and Italy on school trips in the last year.
The area’s five secondary schools organised 18 overseas education trips to enhance pupils’ learning visiting New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Malawi, Morocco, Paris, Rome, Belgium, Germany, Holland, France, Spain, Sicily and Northern Ireland.
The trips included pilgrimages to iconic religious sites, skiing in the Swiss Alps and opportunities to converse in the local dialect in France.
Secondary school pupils also enjoyed outdoor pursuits during residential stays at education centres across the country.
Twenty-three primary schools sent groups of their pupils to enjoy the great outdoors at education centres in Scotland and England, including Ardentinny, Kingswood, Lochgoilhead, Auchengillan and Lockerbie.
Support is available from schools for families on low incomes to ensure all pupils have the opportunity to attend residential and day trips and the costs are kept as low as possible. Payment plans are also available so that the cost can be spread throughout the year.
Councillor Michelle McGinty, Convener of Educational Services, said: “The school trips available for our young people offer experiences they may not otherwise have had the chance to take part in and are a valuable part of the learning experience in our schools. Even our primary school pupils have enjoyed residential outings to outdoor centres as far away as England and developed independence, confidence and team building skills as a result.
”We made a commitment when Ardlui Outdoor Education Centre closed that our pupils would continue to enjoy high-quality outdoor education. We’ve kept to that promise and these trips evidence that.”
Councillor John Mooney, Depute Convener of Educational Services, added: “It’s fantastic to see our young people being given these opportunities to travel off the beaten track and visit places such as Africa as part of their education. Each of these trips has helped to equip them with valuable life skills and experiences and of course, have fun.”
West Dunbartonshire Councillor Martin Rooney 