About TripTrust
A quality framework
for a gap nobody owns.
TripTrust is a proposed independent accreditation body for the international school trip and residential programme sector. Our purpose is to establish a quality standard that no membership organisation, government, or existing body currently provides.
No body currently assesses the external trip and camp providers that international schools entrust with their students. Schools perform duplicate due diligence, often incompletely, with no shared standard.
8 Quality Indicator domains developed by examining real incidents. Every indicator traces to a documented case where its absence contributed to harm. The framework is evidence-led.
Accreditation is earned through rigorous independent assessment — not purchased. The standard is governed by an advisory board of experts with no commercial interest in any provider.
Framework Design Principles
A policy instrument,
not a product.
TripTrust's quality framework was designed to be used by membership organisations, school networks, and policy makers — not only as a provider accreditation tool, but as a sector-wide reference standard for what safe, quality educational travel provision looks like.
We are inviting sector bodies to use it, challenge it, and help improve it. The goal is a standard the entire international school community can own and trust — not a proprietary mark controlled by a single organisation.
Evidence-led, not aspirational
Every indicator can be traced to a real incident in the Risk Casebook where its absence contributed to harm. The framework does not reflect theoretical best practice — it reflects documented failure.
Internationally relevant
Built specifically for the international school context: cross-border criminal vetting, jurisdictional gaps in crisis response, overseas health risk, and multi-country provider operations.
Independently governed
Accreditation decisions are made by trained assessors under the oversight of an independent advisory board. No provider or school influences the outcome of any assessment.
Openly published
The full framework is publicly available. Any organisation — school, membership body, government, or researcher — is welcome to read, reference, adapt, or challenge it.
The Quality Framework
8 Quality Indicator domains.
Each domain contains multiple sub-indicators and evidence requirements. Casebook references show which real incidents informed each domain's design.
Risk Management
Staff competence verification, activity-specific risk assessments, fire safety, medical needs management, contingency planning, overnight supervision, incident reporting and organisational learning
Casebook refs:SEA-03, EU-01, EU-03Safeguarding
Policy and procedures, staff training, online safety, criminal background vetting across all jurisdictions of employment, site security, privacy and dignity, reporting pathways
Casebook refs:GL-01, SEA-06, SEA-07Food Safety
Catering provider standards, food hygiene inspection records, allergen management, dietary needs communication from school to caterer
Casebook refs:EA-01, SG-01Transport
Vehicle roadworthiness, driver hours and licensing compliance, transport contractor vetting including actual operating company verification, route risk assessment
Casebook refs:T-01, GL-02, EU-02Education Quality
Curriculum alignment, clear roles and responsibilities documentation, inclusion policies, learning assessment, sustainability commitments
Casebook refs:SEA-02, EA-03Communication & Governance
Marketing accuracy, third-party subcontractor vetting processes, community feedback mechanisms, informed consent, insurance verification, data protection compliance
Casebook refs:DP-01, SEA-01Overseas Travel
Destination-specific travel risk assessment, health risk documentation including vaccination requirements, crisis communication plan with named contacts and escalation timelines, repatriation procedures
Casebook refs:SEA-01, LL-01, MED-01School Documentation
Pre-verified 7-section documentation pack structured for the standard school educational visits approval process — reducing EVC due diligence time from 14 hours to under 30 minutes
Casebook refs:EA-03Advisory Board
Institutional expertise
not commercial interest.
Advisory board members are selected for expertise and independence. No member holds a financial interest in any accredited provider, and all are required to declare conflicts of interest.
Dr. Eleanor Hughes
Chair of Advisory Board
Former Director of Education at COBIS and author of the international schools safeguarding framework. Led the development of safeguarding inspection criteria used by multiple regional school associations.
James Thornton MBE
Risk & Outdoor Safety
30 years in outdoor education and adventure programme safety. Former Chair of the Outdoor Education Advisers Panel. Has investigated fatalities in school outdoor settings and contributed to national regulatory reform.
Prof. Aisha Mubarak
International Safeguarding
UNICEF safeguarding advisor and author of "Child Protection in International Educational Settings". Has worked with governments in 14 countries to develop child protection frameworks for educational contexts.
David Lim
Asia-Pacific Representative
International school principal and educational visits expert with 20 years of experience across Southeast Asia. Former safeguarding lead and educational visits coordinator at three COBIS-member schools.
Sector Engagement
We're asking organisations
to help shape this.
TripTrust cannot and should not be built without the input of the organisations that best understand the international school sector. We are actively seeking engagement from COBIS, CIS, FOBISIA, ISOS Group, AAIE, ECIS, and other regional bodies.
Our ask is specific: review the quality framework, challenge what it misses, and tell us what it would take for your organisation to recommend it to members.
Contact the Advisory TeamIndependence Statement
TripTrust is wholly independent of all providers, schools, and commercial interests. We receive no funding from governments, accreditation bodies, or provider associations.
All assessors are required to declare conflicts of interest before being assigned to any application. Accreditation decisions are made solely on evidence, not on commercial relationships or reputational considerations.
Schools and membership organisations can report concerns about any accredited provider directly to the advisory board. The board has authority to suspend or revoke accreditation at any time.
The quality framework and casebook are published openly and may be cited, referenced, or reproduced freely with attribution.