An Historic Achievement 

SETO is proud to congratulate Student Horizons on becoming the first educational tour operator in Australia to achieve SETO Quality Standards (SQS) Certification.

This landmark achievement represents an important milestone not only for Student Horizons, but for the broader educational travel sector. As the first independently audited certification framework developed specifically for student educational travel in Australia, SQS provides a nationally consistent benchmark for safety, governance, operational excellence and quality. The framework assesses organisations across key domains including financial management, safety, tour preparation, and people and training, helping schools, parents and students make informed decisions when selecting educational travel providers.

For Student Horizons, certification is a recognition of the systems, processes and people that underpin the delivery of educational travel programs and reflects a strong commitment to student wellbeing, responsible governance and continuous improvement.

“Achieving the SETO Safety Quality Standards Pass is a significant milestone for Student Horizons and an independent endorsement of the systems, people and practices behind every program we deliver. Schools entrust us with their students’ safety, wellbeing and learning experience, and this certification reflects our commitment to meeting that responsibility through strong governance, disciplined risk management and continuous improvement. 
 
We are proud to be the first educational travel organisation in Australia to achieve SQS certification and welcome SETO’s leadership in setting a meaningful benchmark for the sector.”

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

Setting a New Standard

Student Horizons is the first organisation to successfully complete the SQS certification process, demonstrating what independent assessment and verification can look like within the educational travel sector.

Developed by SETO, the SQS framework was established to strengthen transparency, consistency and accountability across educational travel while complementing existing regulatory and school governance requirements. Through independent auditing, certification provides assurance that providers have demonstrated compliance against a rigorous and transparent framework.

“When we developed the SETO Quality Standards, our goal was to create a nationally recognised benchmark that supports trust, consistency and continuous improvement across educational travel. 
 
Student Horizons becoming the first organisation to achieve SQS Certification is an important moment because it demonstrates what is possible when organisations are prepared to put their systems, processes and practices through independent assessment. 
 
We congratulate the Student Horizons team on leading the way and helping establish a stronger foundation for the future of educational travel in Australia.” 

Liz Anderson, CEO, SETO

Building Confidence for Schools and Families

Educational travel creates powerful opportunities for learning beyond the classroom, helping students develop independence, confidence, cultural awareness and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

At the same time, schools face increasing expectations around governance, duty of care and risk management. SQS Certification was created to support these responsibilities by providing a clear, evidence-based framework that assists schools in assessing providers and identifying organisations that have demonstrated a commitment to best practice through independent review.

By undertaking certification, Student Horizons has demonstrated  leadership within the sector and a commitment to delivering educational travel experiences that meet the highest standards of safety, quality and operational capability.

A Milestone for the Sector

While this achievement rightly celebrates Student Horizons, it also signals an important step forward for educational travel in Australia.

As more SETO members progress through the certification pathway, the SQS framework will continue to strengthen confidence across the sector, supporting schools in their provider selection processes and encouraging continuous improvement among educational travel organisations. The certification framework reflects SETO's vision of a trusted, consistent and high-quality educational travel environment that benefits students, schools, families and providers alike.

"Congratulations to Jamie and the Student Horizons team on becoming the first company to achieve accreditation under SETO's Safety Quality Standards. This is a significant milestone for both Student Horizons and SETO, recognising the team's commitment to safe, high-quality educational travel.

Their achievement sets a positive example for our industry and supports our goal of giving schools greater confidence when choosing an educational travel provider."

James Whiteley, Chair, SETO