The Field Study Checklist for Teachers
Updated: Sep 3
A practical guide to planning, preparing and making the most of your day outdoors
There is something special about taking learning outside the classroom.
Whether you're heading to a river, coastline, woodland, urban environment or local field site, students have the opportunity to see their learning in action, collect real evidence and experience the environment around them.
But a successful field study isn't just about what happens once you arrive.
A little preparation before the day can make everything run more smoothly—and can make a huge difference to how much students enjoy and get from the experience.
We've put together this practical guide based on the things we've found useful over many years of working with schools outdoors.
Use it as a starting point, adapt it to your own field site and, most importantly, enjoy the day!
1. One Week Before
A week out is a good time to get the main pieces in place. It gives you enough time to sort out anything that needs attention without the pressure of the day before.
The learning
☐ What do you want students to learn or discover?
☐ What skills will they practise?
☐ What data or evidence will they collect?
☐ Are the activities appropriate for the age and experience of the group?
☐ Have worksheets been prepared?
The site
☐ Confirm your location and access arrangements.
☐ Make sure you have permission to access the site, where required.
☐ Check parking, toilets and meeting points.
☐ Consider the walking distance and terrain.
☐ Review any hazards or changes at the site.
☐ Check that your planned investigation locations are accessible.
☐ Get the long-range weather forecast.
The students
☐ Explain what the day will involve.
☐ Tell students how much time they will spend outdoors.
☐ Explain what they need to wear and bring.
☐ Remind them that they may be walking, standing, getting wet or working on uneven ground.
☐ Explain why suitable clothing, footwear, food and water are important.
☐ Check that permission slips have been returned.
☐ Check that you have the relevant medical information for students who need it.
Transport
If you're using a bus or other transport:
☐ Confirm your booking.
☐ Check collection and drop-off times.
☐ Confirm the meeting point.
☐ Make sure you have contact details for the transport provider.
Check Your Kit
This is one job worth doing a week in advance rather than the day before.
There is nothing worse than arriving at your field site and discovering that the piece of equipment you were relying on isn't working—or isn't there at all!
Give yourself time to check that you have everything you need and that it is all in working
order.
Depending on your field study, this might include:
☐ Measuring equipment
☐ Clipboards
☐ Recording sheets and worksheets
☐ Pens and pencils
☐ Quadrats or sampling equipment
☐ Cameras or phones
☐ Batteries or chargers
☐ First aid kit
☐ Emergency checklist
☐ Emergency grab bag
☐ Spare clothing or protective equipment where appropriate
☐ A back-up method for collecting or recording data if rain makes your planned method difficult
If something is missing, damaged or not working, you've now got time to replace it, repair it or rethink the activity.
Give yourself a little breathing space. Your future self will thank you!
If you're working with a field study provider, this is also a good time to confirm what equipment they are providing and what students need to bring themselves.
2. The Day Before
The day before is about giving everything a final check and making sure you're ready to go.
Check the weather
Look at the forecast again.
Weather can change quickly, particularly on exposed coastal or upland sites, so consider what the conditions might mean for your planned activities.
Do you need:
☐ Extra layers?
☐ Waterproofs?
☐ Sun protection?
☐ A change of activity?
☐ An alternative location or plan?
Remember that poor weather doesn't necessarily mean cancelling fieldwork. Sometimes it simply means adapting the day.
Check your information
☐ Student list
☐ Permission slips
☐ Relevant medical information
☐ Emergency contact numbers
☐ Site access information
☐ Transport details
☐ Important staff contact numbers
Check your phone
☐ Phone fully charged
☐ Power bank available if required
☐ Check whether you have phone coverage at the field site
If coverage is limited or unreliable, make sure you know what your alternative arrangements are and where the nearest reliable point of contact is.
It is one of those small details that is easy to overlook when you're planning from a classroom, but useful to know before you arrive.
3. On the Bus
The journey to the field site is actually part of the field study.
It's a great opportunity to get students thinking about where they're going and what they might see.
Keep the briefing short and useful.
Talk through:
Where you're going
What you'll be doing
What students need to remember
How the group will work
Any important safety information
Toilet & changing facilities, if any
Where they can snack & eat
4. At the Site
This is where all the preparation starts to pay off.
Start with the basics
Before beginning the investigation, give students a chance to orientate themselves.
Where are they?
What are they looking at?
What are the boundaries of the activity?
Where should they be working?
Where should they not go?
A short site briefing gives everyone a clear starting point.
Explain before you expect
Students may be excited and ready to get started, but this is the moment to make sure everyone understands what they're doing.
Demonstrate equipment.
Show students how to record their results.
Explain their roles.
If you're working in groups, make sure every student has something meaningful to do.
The aim is to get students working independently, but a little guidance at the beginning can make that independence much more successful.
Keep an eye on the clock
Outdoor investigations can take longer than expected.
Leave enough time for:
Setting up
Explaining the activity
Collecting data
Moving between locations
Breaks, especially snack breaks
Reflection
Getting everyone back to the meeting point
Sometimes it is better to complete one investigation well than rush through three.
5. Safety in the Field
Good preparation helps everyone feel more confident outdoors.
Before beginning, make sure other teachers know:
☐ The boundaries of the activity
☐ Where the group is working
☐ Where the meeting point is
☐ Who is responsible for each group
☐ Emergency contact numbers
☐ The location of the nearest appropriate access point for emergency services
☐ What to do if a student becomes unwell or injured
If you're working away from roads or established paths, remember that emergency assistance may take longer to reach you.
This doesn't need to be a concern; it simply means knowing your location and having a clear procedure in place.
A small emergency grab bag can also be invaluable. First aid supplies, an emergency blanket, snacks, spare gloves, emergency contact details, incident forms and other simple items can make dealing with the unexpected much easier.
The aim isn't to spend the day worrying about everything that could go wrong.
It's to be prepared enough that you can concentrate on everything that's going right.
6. Keep Students Comfortable
Comfort and concentration are closely connected.
If students are cold, wet, hungry or uncomfortable, their enthusiasm for collecting data can disappear surprisingly quickly!
Think about the students' normal school routine too.
If they usually have a mid-morning break around 11.00, they may start looking for that break at 11.00, even if you're halfway through an investigation.
The same applies to lunch.
Keeping familiar routines where possible can help students maintain their energy and focus throughout the day.
Encourage students to bring:
☐ Suitable footwear
☐ Waterproof clothing
☐ Warm layers
☐ Water
☐ Snacks
☐ Lunch
☐ Spare clothes where appropriate
☐ Pens and pencils
A comfortable student is much more likely to be a curious and enthusiastic student.
7. Before Leaving the Site
It's very easy to finish the last activity and immediately start thinking about getting everyone back to school.
Before you leave, take a few minutes for reflection.
Ask students:
What did you notice?
What surprised you?
What did your data tell you?
Did anything happen that you didn't expect?
What would you investigate if you had another hour?
These questions don't need to take long.
Sometimes five minutes sitting together at the end of a field study can help students make sense of everything they've experienced.
It's also a good time to check:
☐ All students are accounted for
☐ All equipment has been collected
☐ No personal belongings have been left behind
☐ The site has been left as you found it
☐ Any photographs or data have been safely stored
8. Back at School
The field study doesn't finish when you get back on the bus.
This is where students can begin turning their experience into understanding.
Depending on the subject and year group, you could:
Display photographs from the day
Create maps or field sketches
Analyse the data collected
Compare results between groups
Discuss unexpected findings
Write conclusions
Evaluate the investigation
Develop follow-up questions
Plan an action project
For younger students, reflection might simply involve discussing what they discovered.
For older students, the same field data can become the starting point for more detailed analysis and investigation.
The important thing is to allow students to look back at what they experienced and make connections with their classroom learning.
One Final Weather Check
We couldn't finish a field study checklist without giving the weather one more mention!
Irish weather has a habit of changing its mind.
A forecast is useful, but it is only part of your planning.
For some locations, it is important to look beyond the general weather forecast too.
Depending on your field site and activity, you may need to consider:
Weather warnings
Wind speeds
Sea conditions and tides
River levels and recent rainfall
Ground conditions
Temperature
Visibility
Conditions on access routes
It can also be helpful to decide in advance when you will make the final decision about whether the field study can go ahead.
Give yourself a cut-off point.
If conditions are forecast to deteriorate significantly, decide when you'll make the call rather than waiting until everyone is on the bus.
And don't be apprehensive about pulling the plug if the conditions simply aren't going to work.
Sometimes the safest and most sensible decision is to postpone, change the location, or adapt the activity.
That's not a failed field study. That's good fieldwork planning.
The important thing is having a clear process for making the decision.
The Field Study Checklist
There is a lot to remember, which is why we've created a simple
Branch Out Field Study Checklist
DOWNLOAD THE FREE FIELD STUDY CHECKLIST
You can print it, keep it with your fieldwork folder, or use it when preparing for your next trip.
It covers the key stages:
✓ One week before
✓ The day before
✓ On the bus
✓ At the site
✓ Safety
✓ Student preparation
✓ Weather
✓ Breaks and comfort
✓ Before leaving
✓ Back at school
Fieldwork Doesn't Have to Be Complicated
The checklist might look long, but that's the point of having one!
Good preparation means you don't have to keep everything in your head.
And you don't have to do everything yourself either.
Some teachers love planning and leading their own field studies using local sites. Others prefer to work with a field study provider who can take care of the specialist equipment, activities and outdoor instruction.
Many schools do both.
At Branch Out, we work with schools in both ways.
Our Geography, Biology and CASD field studies give students the opportunity to work outdoors with experienced instructors, practical equipment and investigations designed around their learning.
And if you're planning your own field study, we hope this checklist makes the process a little easier.
Because ultimately, the goal is the same:
Get students outdoors, give them something interesting to investigate, and let them experience learning for themselves.
Branch Out Top Tip
Don't try to make your field study perfect.
Have a clear plan, prepare your students, know your site and be ready to adapt.
Once you've got those things in place, you can relax a little and enjoy watching your students discover something for themselves.
What should be included in a field study checklist?
A field study checklist should cover learning objectives, site access, student preparation, equipment, transport, weather, safety procedures, emergency information, breaks, data collection and follow-up activities.
How should teachers prepare students for a field study?
Teachers should explain what students will be doing, how long they will be outdoors, what clothing and equipment they need, and what they can expect during the field study.
What equipment do students need for a field study?
Equipment depends on the investigation but may include measuring equipment, clipboards, recording sheets, pens, sampling equipment, cameras, chargers, suitable clothing and emergency supplies.
How can teachers keep students safe during fieldwork?
Teachers should know the field site's boundaries, access points and hazards, have emergency contact information available, establish clear responsibilities and prepare an appropriate emergency procedure.
What should students do after a field study?
Students can analyse collected data, compare results, create maps or field sketches, discuss unexpected findings, write conclusions, evaluate the investigation and develop follow-up questions.
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