Student Horizons Becomes Australia’s First SQS – Certified Educational Travel Organisation

Student Horizons is proud to announce that it has achieved a Pass under the SETO (Student Educational Travel Organisation) Quality Standards (SQS) certification program, following independent verification by SETO’s appointed auditors, Intertek Checkpoint.

This achievement makes Student Horizons the first educational travel organisation in Australia to become SQS certified, an important milestone for our team, our school partners and the broader educational travel sector.

For schools, teachers, parents and students, SQS certification provides added confidence that Student Horizons operates with robust systems, clear accountability and a disciplined approach to safety, wellbeing, governance and program delivery.

What are the SETO Quality Standards?

The SETO Quality Standards (SQS) are a voluntary, independently audited framework developed for Australia’s student educational travel sector. The standards provide a clear benchmark for safe, ethical, student-centred and professionally managed educational travel.

SQS certification is not simply a membership badge or statement of intent. It requires a provider’s policies, procedures and operational practices to be independently assessed against standards created specifically for student educational travel.

The framework recognises that educational travel is highly specialised. Delivering a successful school tour requires much more than arranging flights, accommodation and activities. It demands careful planning, experienced people, strong governance, informed risk management, trusted suppliers, safeguarding measures, clear communication and the ability to respond professionally when circumstances change.

What SQS certification means

The SETO Quality Standards framework is designed to strengthen the foundations that support safe and meaningful educational travel programs. It focuses on the systems and practices that enable educational travel organisations to deliver consistently high standards for schools and students.

For Student Horizons, achieving the SQS Pass provides independent validation of our commitment to:

• Student safety, wellbeing and safeguarding.
• Governance, accountability and organisational oversight.
• Risk assessment, risk management and incident preparedness.
• Responsible supplier selection and ongoing supplier management.
• Staff capability, training and operational procedures.
• Clear communication and support for schools, teachers, students and families.
• Continuous improvement across our operations and travel programs.
• Delivering educational experiences that are purposeful, enriching and well managed.

“Achieving the SETO Quality Standards Pass is a significant milestone for Student Horizons and a strong independent endorsement of the systems, people and practices that support every program we deliver. Educational travel carries a unique responsibility: schools entrust us with the safety, wellbeing and learning experience of their students. This certification demonstrates our commitment to meeting that responsibility with robust governance, disciplined risk management and a culture of continuous improvement. We are proud to be the first educational travel organisation in Australia to achieve SQS certification, and we welcome SETO’s leadership in establishing a meaningful benchmark that will strengthen confidence in educational travel across the sector.”

— Andrew Graham, General Manager, Finance and Operations, Student Horizons

Why this matters for schools

Choosing an educational travel provider is an important decision. Schools have a significant duty of care to their students, while teachers and parents need confidence that the organisation supporting a tour understands the responsibilities involved in taking young people beyond the classroom, whether across Australia or overseas.

SQS certification gives schools an additional, independently verified point of reference when selecting an educational travel partner. It demonstrates that an operator has had its systems and practices assessed against standards designed specifically for student educational travel.

For schools partnering with Student Horizons, our SQS certification provides added confidence that:

• • Safety and wellbeing are central to the way we design and deliver programs.
  • Risk management is supported by documented systems, experienced people and practical planning.
  • Our operational processes are designed for the particular needs of schools, teachers and students.
  • We take our responsibilities to school communities seriously, from early planning through to on-tour support.
  • We are committed to reviewing, strengthening and improving our practices over time.

SQS certification does not remove the need for schools to conduct their own due diligence, nor can any framework remove every risk associated with travel. However, it gives schools a clearer way to identify operators that have committed to independent assessment and continuous improvement in a specialist area of travel.

Building on recognised accreditations

The SETO Quality Standards certification builds on Student Horizons’ existing industry credentials, including accreditation through the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) and certification as a Certified Student Travel Organisation (CSTO) through the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA).

Together, these recognitions reflect Student Horizons’ commitment to operating as a trusted specialist in educational travel, supported by sound business practices, strong operational systems and an ongoing focus on student safety, wellbeing and high-quality travel experiences.

While each program has a different purpose, they complement one another:

• ATIA Accreditation recognises Australian travel businesses that meet defined criteria relating to ethical conduct, compliance and sound business practices. Accredited businesses are assessed against the ATIA Charter and Code, with accreditation maintained through an annual submission process.
• SYTA’s CSTO certification is designed specifically for organisations involved in student and youth travel. It addresses the administration of safety and risk-management standards, including mandatory requirements such as insurance, licensing, background checks and crisis-response planning, alongside elective safety standards relevant to an organisation’s operations.
• SETO SQS certification adds an independently verified Australian benchmark focused on safety, quality, governance and responsible delivery for educational travel programs.

For schools and families, this combination provides further assurance that Student Horizons is committed to meeting recognised industry standards at both Australian and international levels.

 A positive step for educational travel

Student Horizons is especially pleased to be the first Australian educational travel organisation to achieve SQS certification because of what the framework can mean for the entire sector.

Educational travel gives students the opportunity to experience learning in ways that cannot always be replicated in the classroom. It can build confidence, independence, cultural understanding, resilience and stronger connections between students, teachers and the world around them.

However, the continued growth of educational travel relies on trust. School leaders, teachers and parents need confidence that travel providers have the capability, care and governance required to deliver programs responsibly.

SETO’s introduction of the SETO Quality Standards is an important step forward for Australian educational travel. A rigorous and independently verified framework can help to:

• Establish a clearer national benchmark for safety, quality and responsible practice.
• Encourage stronger governance, risk management and operational consistency across the sector.
• Give schools a more meaningful basis for comparing educational travel providers.
• Increase transparency and accountability within the industry.
• Recognise organisations that invest in specialist student-travel systems and expertise.
• Build greater confidence among schools and families in the value and safety of educational travel.

As more organisations work towards SQS certification, the standards have the potential to lift expectations across the sector. In turn, this can help more Australian schools confidently embrace educational travel as a powerful extension of classroom learning.

Our ongoing commitment

For Student Horizons, becoming SQS certified is an important achievement—but it is not the finish line.

We remain committed to continuously strengthening the way we support schools, manage risk, select and oversee suppliers, prepare students and staff, and deliver meaningful educational experiences around the world.

We are proud to lead the sector as Australia’s first SQS-certified educational travel organisation. More importantly, we are proud to continue earning the trust of the schools, teachers, students and families who choose Student Horizons for learning beyond the classroom.