travel to school - rules

steve888

hello folks

Ive got a query about what help is avaible for single parents sending their children to school which are further away than the three nearest secondary schools

my aunt is in a situatrion where she currently on benefits (she is traing as a teaching asistant - but this is just training and therefore she is unemployed)and her 11 year old is now going to a school which is two bus jorneys away ie 7 miles - the local secondary school which is awful is walking distance

the next 2 closest schools are one bus journey way 3 miles

beacuase my aunt chose a schoool further away than the three nearest the council have said there is no help she can get. as her duaghter travels in peak morining hours the fayres are high and bus pass cant be used

i have no experince of this and what she can do - but it does seem a very poor situation

does anyone have any helpful advice. can she appeal to anyone ??

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:the council have already wrritten back to say that they cant help

thanks for any help

steve

McKneff

There is help available for pupils to local schools.
As your aunt has chosen not to avail herself of this service there
is nothing that she can claim.

There is no reason why she should be treated as a special case just because your aunt doesnt want to send her to the local school.

Its tax payers money, as Im sure you realise.

steve888

ok so it would be logical to offer the same level of support for the one bus ride 3 mile schools ( after all this is what she would be eligble for )

and then for the parent to have to cover the excess ie over three miles herself
steve

ps choice of three would be ok if they wernt so abysmal - gang and violence ridden as they are - this isnt an overstatement - inner city schools are like this

Becles

The LEA will only provide transport to the nearest school. They don't take into account your choice to send children to other schools.

We have the same problem as my son goes to a Catholic school 12 miles away, but we are not Catholic so the LEA will not fund transport as it's not the nearest school to us.

We can apply for a concessionary pass. This means once all the Catholic children have been issued with passes, the spare seats are given to non-Catholics but we have to apply for the concessionary seat each year. Is there any facility like this she could apply for? If she contacts the school transport section at the LEA they will tell her.

Hopefully my other son will be starting there next September. It is clear in the documents that we have been given that if he doesn't get a concessionary seat, we are responsible for paying his bus fares on public busses.

steve888

thanks becles a very helpful post i will get my aunt to check this out with the local lea transport team

steve

wobblebottom

I am in a similar situation- Only My daughter didnt get her First choice school ( feeder) which had free transport laid on as we over 3-5 miles away-( I was suprised to say the least and expected a for gone conclusion)

Got her second choice- which is over 3 miles just- but out of the schools catchment area- So I dont qualify either- there was other choices very close- none of which were anywhere near making an appearance on Ofsteds List- so therefor out of the question from the offing..

At the time i was on Benefits and Struggled immensly with the cost of 4 Bus journeys a day- and enquired about help on numerous occaisions to both County councils the School area covers to no avail.

One thing you can enquire about to your local bus company ( First Bus ) in our case actually do a Child's weekly Pass which is quite a saving over the week- But Dont adverstise the fact widely- we have to go to local transport office to get it- But glad we did... so ask around- its about £11.50 pwk

Out of the Four buses she catches she needs to pay more what the pass costs weely than singles would be all week- the other two she can get on for free ( I work for company) so its well worth it..

Il have to go thru all this again in few yrs when my youngest goes there aswell

HTH

Oldernotwiser

I'm a bit puzzled as to why you need to pay for 4 journeys a day - have I missed something?

inkie

I would expect that there is a general concessionary pass available which means that the child can travel at a 'fixed price', (ours is 40p). These are ususally available in all areas for children over 11 years. My Duaghter goes to a school 3+ miles away - catches the public bus at 40p (as it's before 9 am), and then gets free transport on the way home (as it's after 9am). Is ther not a similar arrangement?
Transportation is one of the things that need to be considered when chosing schools.

wobblebottom

I wasnt working for the company at the time- The Two paid for journeys Still costs more than a weekly pass .( And sometimes the times dont match for change over and has to catch FirstBus- thus costing

She has no choice but to use the First bus on two legs of her journey which would cost me ( 15.00pwk in daily returns) Pass costs 12.50..

Then on two legs she can use my company for nothing -

Home to change over- Costs
Change over to School- Free
School - change over - Free
Change over to home- Costs

Plus she can use the weekly pass out of hours on (FirstBus) anywhere else- shopping etc.. friends blah blah

advent1122

steve888 wrote: »

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:the council have already wrritten back to say that they cant help

thanks for any help

steve

I sent my son to a private school 27 miles away, I asked the local authority to pay for him to get a taxi there and back, they refused.
Mrs Advent had to take him.
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Your aunt chose a school 7 miles away, rather than the local one so she will have to pick up the tab, just like we chose not to send ours to the local comp.

steve888

with respect you've opted out of the state system and thats a completely differt thing

so your point is somewhat flawed

steve