School Transport costs and Social Exclusion

fluffymuffy

Thanks for the suggestions. We're not an a regular bus route. Using public transport would involve a walk of just over a mile to the local bus station and then a convoluted bus journey to the town centre. Then a different bus to the next town and then a walk of just under a mile to school. The bus service we've had to join is a private service run by the grammar schools (a boys school and a girls school) which uses a coach company to serve our area collecting children from about a quarter of a mile away and bringing them back.

We only have one car and it's needed to get our other children to their schools and so driving is not an option anyway - unless we buy another car.

The local authority do provide funding for school transport which is not on the public bus service but it doesn't consider the grammar schools to be a special need. I feel that the council shouldn't be offering the option of going to a selective school if they are not prepared to support everyone's equal chance of attending - especially since the schools are in an exclusive area.

I've had to sign up for the bus service as there's no realistic alternative and I'll be following up all the suggestions here. Thanks. DD is very very happy in her new school - they actually gave her some text books to take home!

bestpud

floss2 wrote: »

I'm sorry, but I find this quite patronising. I can only assume that you have never lived on an income (full time earned, tax credits & maintenance) where to have to find £78 a month for a child's transport to school would mean not paying the council tax AND water rates.

I have, and do, live on a low income and I've also been unfortunate enough to see my older children receive a poor education.

With that in mind, I can say for sure I'd find the money from somewhere!

I really hope you can sort something OP but I'm sure you won't regret sending her there, no matter what the sacrifice.

Congratulations to your dd for getting in too! :T

snapping_crocodile

fluffymuffy wrote: »

DD has just started a new school - the local grammar school (yes we still have them - they are not fee-paying, as many people think

This made me smile I'm from Kent orginally and I went to a grammar school. I never realised they were so unusual in most parts of the country, unitl I went to uni and then what you said used to be the standard thing I was asked when people found out!! I loved my school and feel I had a fasnatstic education there suitable for my needs. Therre were plenty of comps closer to me (my school was approximately 4 miles away), but Kent COunty Council deemed my school to be the closest one suitable for my needs, and as I lived more than 3 miles away I had a free bus pass for the 7 years I was there. Back then parental income did not enter the equation, it was all on the suitability of the school. I would say you have a strong case to argue for a free bus pass in order that your daughter can achieve her full potential

silvercar

fluffymuffy wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions. We're not an a regular bus route. Using public transport would involve a walk of just over a mile to the local bus station and then a convoluted bus journey to the town centre. Then a different bus to the next town and then a walk of just under a mile to school. The bus service we've had to join is a private service run by the grammar schools (a boys school and a girls school) which uses a coach company to serve our area collecting children from about a quarter of a mile away and bringing them back.

We only have one car and it's needed to get our other children to their schools and so driving is not an option anyway - unless we buy another car.

The local authority do provide funding for school transport which is not on the public bus service but it doesn't consider the grammar schools to be a special need. I feel that the council shouldn't be offering the option of going to a selective school if they are not prepared to support everyone's equal chance of attending - especially since the schools are in an exclusive area.

I've had to sign up for the bus service as there's no realistic alternative and I'll be following up all the suggestions here. Thanks. DD is very very happy in her new school - they actually gave her some text books to take home!

I have real sympathy for your situation, but I guess you know (as I did) that if your child has been offered this opportunity you turn it down.

When you attended an open evening, presumeably before you made the decision for DD to sit the exam, did the school mention transport. I ask because my son's school made a point of reminding parents to think how their children would get to and from school especially as exam entrance means you can never guarantee that siblings will get places.

I do know of some people who couldn't afford the school coaches who used to do double rotas. So on certain days mum would be involved in a rota taking kids to the grammer school and on other days she would be taking other siblings in a different rota to other schools and the grammar school kid taken by a different family. Very convoluted and when the rota broke down the kids would jump on the school coach and pay just for that day.

angelicmary85

fluffymuffy wrote: »

DD is very very happy in her new school - they actually gave her some text books to take home!

I went to a grammar school...

We got textbooks from all of our subjects and it was free to attend.

Are Scottish and English Grammar schools different?

nzmegs

I completely understand your dilemma. My son (fingers crossed) has applied to a school for next school year which is a fair distance away, but is ten times better than the catchment school. if he gets in we will have to pay for a special service bus. Which is around £200 a term.
My argument is that the catchment school got just 27% pass rate for GCSE, the school we are applying to is 93%. My son (and my daughter in two years time) is very bright and capable and deserves better than our catchment school. In fact all children do. But despite what i regard as his special needs we do not get any sort of help or funding. We are a low income family.
But...for the sake of my child i am willing to work around this. wqe are simply going to cut back or earn more to make it work.

Have you considered if there are any other children in the area who attend the school and sort out a car pool. You may then be able to just have the bus ride to pay for occassionally. Maybe ask the school to put you in touch with other parents in your area. they may be struggling too.

if enough children catch the special bus provided - maybe you could search out alternatives yourself to see if a cheaper option is available. Another bus company or even a shared taxi. The school probably just goes with what they have always done. You might be paying for a large bus which is only half full - a mini bus may be a better option.

We all want what is best for our kids and the governemnt fails to provide decent schools for all. I guess we can only be thankful that we don't live in countries where schooling is seen as a privilege, not a right.

fluffymuffy

angelicmary85 wrote: »

I went to a grammar school...

We got textbooks from all of our subjects and it was free to attend.

Are Scottish and English Grammar schools different?

No - it doesn't sound different. It's free and they get text books (which she never had at the last school - these were kept in the classroom, which was locked between lessons). The only problem is the cost of getting there.

It's a state school provided by the local authority with no catchment area - available to any child who can pass the exam and get offered a place - provided they can afford to get there - which is the bit I feel is wrong.

We will have to find the money if no help is available (and with tax credits being taken off every extra £1 we earn at the rate of 37p, and tax and national insurance, meaning we'll have to make an extra £200+ a month to get enough extra cash for that bus). But for families who need help there isn't any and this might mean having to turn down a place.

Children attending religious schools can get assistance for transport costs, as can those who've been expelled form their local school.

angelicmary85

fluffymuffy wrote: »

No - it doesn't sound different. It's free and they get text books (which she never had at the last school - these were kept in the classroom, which was locked between lessons). The only problem is the cost of getting there.

It's a state school provided by the local authority with no catchment area - available to any child who can pass the exam and get offered a place - provided they can afford to get there - which is the bit I feel is wrong.

We will have to find the money if no help is available (and with tax credits being taken off every extra £1 we earn at the rate of 37p, and tax and national insurance, meaning we'll have to make an extra £200+ a month to get enough extra cash for that bus). But for families who need help there isn't any and this might mean having to turn down a place.

Children attending religious schools can get assistance for transport costs, as can those who've been expelled form their local school.

Oh I see, thank you for that!

When I was reading your 1st post, I was a bit surprised when you said it was a free Grammar school. I thought it must have worked differently for Grammar schools but the same for High schools...iyswim!

We didn't have to take an entry exma, all the kids went to the same school.

Could you maybe do something like selling Avon for a couple of months to help you out? You're allowed to earn up to £300 a year I think without having to declare it to the Tax Credits office but you must declare anything over the £300 (Please double check, don't take my word as gospel!)

bertiebots

fluffymuffy wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions. We're not an a regular bus route. Using public transport would involve a walk of just over a mile to the local bus station and then a convoluted bus journey to the town centre. Then a different bus to the next town and then a walk of just under a mile to school. The bus service we've had to join is a private service run by the grammar schools (a boys school and a girls school) which uses a coach company to serve our area collecting children from about a quarter of a mile away and bringing them back.

We only have one car and it's needed to get our other children to their schools and so driving is not an option anyway - unless we buy another car.

The local authority do provide funding for school transport which is not on the public bus service but it doesn't consider the grammar schools to be a special need. I feel that the council shouldn't be offering the option of going to a selective school if they are not prepared to support everyone's equal chance of attending - especially since the schools are in an exclusive area.

I've had to sign up for the bus service as there's no realistic alternative and I'll be following up all the suggestions here. Thanks. DD is very very happy in her new school - they actually gave her some text books to take home!

Hi fluffymuffy I was just wondering if there was anyway you could drop dd of at school a bit early . My ds high school has a breakfast club which is free...its not like at primary . They are just allowed into school and they open the snack bar so kids can buy bacon buttys or toast etc plus they get to socialise!(the snack bar is optional). It solves the problem of rushing to get the younger kids to school for us. Our ds1 can be dropped off at 8 am (starts at 8.20) and it just gives me time (horrendous traffic ) to get back to junior school with dd and ds2 for 8.50am. Or is it possible the other way round...could your younger kids go to a breakfast club and drop them off first. Cost wise might it work? Just trying to figure out any way to help;) Might be a long school run but cheaper than bus + car costs.

fluffymuffy

OK it's Game On now. I spoke to the "Head of Admissions" of our local council who's initial reaction was "didn't you think of how you were going to get her there when she applied?" and after a long conversation which included me telling her what my mother had said ("That sort of school isn't for the likes of us") she seemed a bit more fired up about social exclusion. Also I told her about how impressed I was that the uniform was really cheap - to which she jumped at the chance to say that it was the council's policy that no one should be excluded on cost grounds....

Head of Admission then said that the council's guidelines means that an application for funding for transport assistance would be automatically failed but she is sending me a form anyway and I should apply. After it fails (and it will) we must appeal and so the points I raised would be considered at a council committee. I'm a little hopeful now.