nobody has to be the referee
Scavvi for schools and clubs
The hard part of running a hunt with thirty children isn't the hunt. It's the eleven arguments at once about whether something counts, all aimed at the one adult trying to keep everyone on the pavement. Scavvi settles those, because the app checks each find from the photo.
Why it works for groups
No adjudicating
The photo either passes or it doesn't. The disagreement happens with the phone rather than with you, which is the entire pitch.
Groups stay busy
Each small group works its own list at its own pace, so the fast ones aren't waiting and the slow ones aren't rushed.
A record afterwards
Every find is a photo, so you can look back at what each group found without anyone writing anything up.
pick. snap. win.
How a group plays
It runs like a family hunt, with more teams. Try the example on the phone.
Start one hunt
The adult in charge picks a hunt pack, or writes the list with Pro, and gets a five-character code.
Each group joins
One device per small group. They type the code or scan the QR code. No accounts, no email addresses.
Snap each find
The group finds the thing, takes the photo, and the app checks it and keeps the score.
The leaderboard settles it
Points for every find, and the top group wins. Then look back at the photos together.
Hey explorer!
- 6 day streak
- 1,240 points
Adventures near you
What happens in this example
- Home says hey explorer and shows today's daily hunt: find 5 round things. The tabs and cards say what each part of the app does.
- The hunt list. Four round things are found and one is left: a clock.
- A drawn camera view of a wall clock. Tap the round shutter button.
- The app checks the photo.
- Found! Confetti bursts and the points add up. The hunt is complete. Play again, and your new total and streak show on Home.
Where it actually fits
The walk between the coach and the thing
The most wasted twenty minutes of any trip. A short list turns it into the part they talk about afterwards.
Museum and gallery visits
Children stop spectating and start searching. Check photography rules at the desk first, since special exhibitions often say no.
Holiday clubs and wet-weather afternoons
An indoor list needs no space, no kit and no preparation, which matters when the plan has just collapsed.
City trips
City trails come with Scavvi Pro, in 20 cities including London, Edinburgh, York, Bath, Cardiff and Liverpool. The stops are real landmarks and only count when you're there.
Forest school and outdoor sessions
Texture, colour and nature prompts work well with mixed ages and need nothing but the site you're already on.
What it costs
Scavvi Pro is £2.99 a month or £19.99 a year. That's up to 50 players and 30 items in a hunt, your own list, city trails and no ads. Cancel after the trip in the App Store or Google Play. No per-pupil licence and no separate education pricing.
The free version is fine for trying it: up to 3 players a hunt, or 5 after an ad.
Safeguarding
Most finds are objects and places. Brief your group to skip any item that would mean photographing a person. Skipping costs a few points, so say which ones before you start.
On a city trail, groups waiting to start are listed on that trail's page with the host's display name, and anyone viewing it can join. Use a host name that doesn't name your school, and start the hunt as soon as your groups are in.
More on the child safety page, or email hello@scavvi.com with a question from your safeguarding lead.
What it is not
It is not an education platform. There is no teacher dashboard, no class management, no pupil accounts, no progress reporting and no MIS integration. If you need those, buy something built for it.
It is not designed for one adult running thirty children on one device. It works in small groups with a device each.
The photo check needs a signal. If it can't connect, the find still counts, for fewer points, so a trip somewhere with no signal and no wifi will feel slow. On a museum trip, ask whether there's guest wifi.
We would rather you knew all of that before the coach leaves than after.
Questions
Questions from teachers and leaders
What does it cost for a school or club?
The app is free to download and free hunts allow up to three players (five after an ad), which is enough for a small group but not a class. Scavvi Pro at £2.99 a month lifts that to fifty players and thirty items per hunt, and can be cancelled after your trip in the App Store or Google Play. There is no separate education pricing and no per-pupil licence.
Do the children need their own phones?
No, and mostly they should not. The usual setup is one device per small group, held by the adult or an older child, with the group doing the finding. That keeps the phone count down and the talking up.
Do they each need an account?
No. One person creates the hunt and shares a five-character code. Everyone else joins with the code. There is no email sign-up for children and no personal details are needed to play.
What about photo permissions and safeguarding?
Photos are taken to check a find and are stored with that hunt. Most finds are objects and places. Brief your group to skip any item that would mean photographing a person. Skipping costs a few points, so say which ones before you start. Our full position is on the child safety page, and we're happy to answer specific questions from a safeguarding lead by email.
Does it need internet on the trip?
The photo check needs a signal. If it can't connect, the find still counts, for fewer points. On a museum trip, ask whether there's guest wifi.
Can we write our own list for our topic?
Yes. Writing your own items is a Pro feature, so you can build a hunt around Romans, Victorians, materials, shapes or whatever the topic is, and the app checks each photo against your own words.
What age group does it work best with?
Roughly Reception to Year 6, with the sweet spot around Years 2 to 5. Older students tend to want the riddle mode or a genuinely hard list, otherwise it feels babyish to them.
Rather go paper?
The printable sheets are free, with no email and no sign-up. One per group works well for a class.
What we'd like to build for schools
An idea we're exploring. Schools, holiday clubs, youth groups and home-education groups could help shape it with us.
- A trail for your school grounds, your local area or a trip, made with the same tools places would use. Not a separate product.
- Places could offer a school-visit edition of their experience.
- Class or group codes rather than children's accounts, and a simple view for the adult in charge. No public or nearby groups, no ads, children photograph objects, never people, and results are only ever grouped, never about one child.
None of this is live yet. Before any school tries it, we'd agree a data processing agreement and work through a data protection impact assessment with you.
Try it before you plan around it
Download it free and run a three-player hunt round the school field first. Got a safeguarding or buying question? Email and you'll get a straight answer from the person who built it.