NST (company)
Encyclopedia
Overview
NST or the NST Travel Group is a British educational travel company, part of the HolidaybreakHolidaybreak
Holidaybreak PLC is a company based in Hartford, Cheshire which primarily serves customers in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands...
PLC group of companies.
It provides curriculum-focused tailor-made tours for Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and Colleges, taking students to destinations across the UK, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and worldwide.
It is one of the leaders in educational travel and is the largest of its type in the UK, annually taking more than 4000 school groups on tours at home and abroad.
NST deals only with Schools and Colleges, arranging group student travel through the teachers. Parents are not able to deal directly with the company.
NST employs over 400 people, 240 of which are full time, the remainder being seasonal workers. In the UK its Head Office is in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. An associate company, NST Ltd, based in Dublin, represents NST in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Annual turnover is in excess of £50 million.
Tours & Activities
Tours and activities are devised and developed with teachers and subject matter experts providing a foundation on which tailor-made trips can be built. They are either subject-led or are general travel programmes relevant for groups of different ages, studying a wide and diverse range of subjects. The tours provide a strong educational and learning focus in a safe environment. They also do guided History and Religious Studies trips.Tours to a huge range of destinations across the UK, including capital cities, centres of cultural interest, castles and historic sites, town, country and coastal locations. International destinations include:
- BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, - ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, - FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, - GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, - Holland,
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, - ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, - PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, - RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, - SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, - USA
Subject-specific itineraries include:
- ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
& DesignDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan... - Business StudiesBusiness studiesBusiness studies is an academic subject taught at higher level in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, as well as at university level in many countries...
- Economics and Politics
- Classical Studies
- EnglishEnglish studiesEnglish studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
and DramaDramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a... - GeographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
- HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
- MediaMedia studiesMedia studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
and Film StudiesFilm studiesFilm studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to films. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies... - FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
& Spanish LanguageSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
s - MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
- Cultural Experiences
- Outdoor and Adventure Activities
- Religious StudiesReligious studiesReligious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
An NST tour gives students the chance to engage with local cultures, local peoples and their customs, to learn and develop new languages and to taste new and different food. This brings different elements to their education and provides an opportunity to learn outside the classroom, in ways that might not otherwise be afforded to them.
The company has two residential centres, one in the UK and one in France, bought specifically to encourage outdoors and adventure activities.
Pre 1990
In 1967 Vin Craven, a former maths teacher from Millfield High School in Thornton, LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
founded NST as Northern Schools Travel. Craven identified an opportunity within the education sector to create and establish educationally-focused travel arrangements. Focusing initially on coach tours, the company later expanded into air travel to meet the growing demand for international educational experiences. The first trip overseas was to the Opal Coast in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Craven’s sons John and David joined the company in 1979 and 1982 respectively.
In 1983 the company changed its name to NST and began a period of rapid expansion and acquisition.
1990 to 2000
By 1992 NST was one of the UK’s leading school travel companies with an annual turnover of approximately £5 million.In 1992 ETS Travel was created to offer air tours and sports tours to schools to complement the educational coach tours already operated by NST.
StudyLink, a company specialising in coach tours for university and college groups was bought in 1993. Wanting to formally recognise the importance safety plays in any educational tour, NST decided to document their safety procedures in conjunction with Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is a British charity which aims to promote safety. It is particularly known for its vocal campaigns on issues of road safety, including Tufty the road crossing squirrel, the Cycling Proficiency Test and the Green Cross Code, as well as on issues of...
(RoSPA). This led to the development of a School Tour Operators Safety Management System.
SETA, a leading Scottish school travel company was added to NST’s portfolio in 1994. A Music Tours Division was created in 1995 and ETS created a specialist division, ‘ETS StudyLink’, operating air tours for university and college groups to complement the coach tours operated by NST StudyLink.
To expand their range of sports tours, the specialist sports travel company Sportsclass was acquired by ETS in 1996, resulting in the creation of ETS Sportsclass. 1996 also saw NST Limited being established in Dublin. NST Limited is now a leader in the school and group market for the whole of Ireland.
An Adventure Division was created in January 1997 and the company purchased Winmarleigh Hall, a Victorian mansion set in 50 acres (202,343 m²) of woods and parkland south of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, UK, from where a combined Outdoor Activities and Educational programme operates. NST and ETS formally merged to become NST.
By December 1997 NST had a turnover of approximately £9 million and employed 50 staff. The sister company ETS had a turnover of £6 milliion and employed 28 staff. The combined volumes of the two companies made them Europe’s leading educational tour operator. A decision to merge the two companies was taken. This resulted in four new divisions being established.
In 1998 the Group Travel Company was created, providing adult group tours. Seeing a demand for religious-specific travel, Tours for Churches, a specialist division dealing only with religious groups, was also set up that year.
In January 1999 NST bought Chateau D’ Ebblingham, on the Opal Coast of Northern France. This residential education centre opened in February 2000 and is used as part of the study programmes offered by NST.
2000 onwards
In May 2000, Dun and Bradstreet ranked NST as the 41st fastest growing companies in the UK from their database of over 2 million companies. 2001 saw the merger of NST Studylink and ETS Studylink to create one brand, Studylink. Studlylink is focused solely on the University and College group market. Top Class Travel, a Scottish travel company was acquired. The company’s first formal long term Strategic Plan was launched in 2003 clearly stating expected achievements in the coming five years.In August 2003, NST acquired Blue Chip School Travel, a leading UK operator of English and Drama visits.
The Company refined its structure again in January 2006 by merging the three Blackpool-based school divisions. Young World Travel, a small specialist educational travel company was bought in March 2006. The Sports Tours business was sold off and The Group Travel Company was acquired. NST sold off its Sports Tours business and merged The Group Travel Company and Tours for Churches into two of the larger divisions.
On 30 September 2007 NST was acquired by Holidaybreak PLC and became part of the Education Division of that company.
NST was restructured once more in 2008to refocus operations and to improve efficiencies in one location.
Safety & Quality
From the outset NST believed that safety of the students in their care had to be the number one priority. They pioneered many developments in school operator safety management systems. NST trips meet the latest Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) and Scottish ExecutiveScottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
advice. NST are a founding member of the Schools Travel Forum. The School Travel Forum was developed in conjunction with, and is annually inspected by, suitably qualified external bodies, the sole objective of which is the continual improvement of safety standards. It helps trip organisers deliver their obligations on educational visits.
Since 1994 NST has operated a Safety Management System, developed in conjunction with RoSPA. Argent Health and Safety(Argent Health & Safety) audit this annually.
NST have worked with Government and industry leaders on advancing quality as an integral part of educational travel. The Quality Badge Scheme (QBS) was launched on 2 October 2008 as part of the UK Government’s ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ (LotC)initiative. NST piloted the QBS and was one of the first companies to apply for, and receive, formal accreditation.
NST’s activity centres in Winmarghleigh Hall, Lancashire and Lou Valagran, South of France are British Activity Holiday Association (BAHA) approved, conforming to their strict code of practice covering safety and service delivery in both the centres and on activities.