School Transport costs and Social Exclusion

Fly_Baby

fluffymuffy wrote: »

Well yes I am actually. And the unfairness of the policy which deprives us of any help with transport it exactly what this thread is about. We qualify for free everything and would get free school transport to except that being gifted is not recognise as a special need despite the fact that the council provides a special school.

I am sorry but are you implying that the LEA is breaking the law then by not giving you free transport?

If being gifted is not recognised as a special need then that's that. You cannot change the law but you can find other ways to reduce this cost - there have been a lot of useful advice on this thread.

Fifer

kegg wrote: »

It is the nearest RC secondary and my son went to the primary feeder for it.
If we had choosen the other RC secondary school available which is further away but still a freeder school from his primary we wouldn't even get a reduction on the train ticket.

But I don't see why taxpayers should be funding transport to religious schools when there are perfectly adequate schools closer to home. I don't mind subsidising transport for good academic or learning needs related reasons.

fluffymuffy

kegg wrote: »

If the ops daughter is gifted in science did the local comp offer the chance to take the exams early?
I know of several children who have taken exams early and they went to a bog standard local comp.

No - they didn't offer that option. And it's particularly gutting to find she's now in the bottom class at her new school as she's on course to take the GCE in year 11. The middle set are taking it in year 10 and the top set in year 9 (ie this year, she's in year 9). She's spent every minute of each evening since she started on Monday swatting up from her new text books to try to get out of the bottom set. She's in the bottom set for everything.

The rest of the class are handing in a project in history today which they've been working on since Christmas. DD only found out about this on Tuesday and has managed to research work she hasn't done before and construct a brave attempt to hand in today. The school is not expecting her to have done this but she's determined to get out of the bottom set as soon as possible. I suspect she'll never catch up now as it seems impossible to do GCSEs this year.

fluffymuffy

Fly_Baby wrote: »

I am sorry but are you implying that the LEA is breaking the law then by not giving you free transport?

If being gifted is not recognised as a special need then that's that. You cannot change the law but you can find other ways to reduce this cost - there have been a lot of useful advice on this thread.

The LA are free to interpret the law as they see fit. Other LAs include Gifted and Talented in Special Needs provision. Our authority is prepared to look at this through the appeal committee.

kegg_2

Fifer wrote: »

But I don't see why taxpayers should be funding transport to religious schools when there are perfectly adequate schools closer to home. I don't mind subsidising transport for good academic or learning needs related reasons.

Oh i dont mind paying as it is our choice to send my youngest there. I only posted the informtion as someone had already posted that faith schools qualify for free transport which is not the case.

On the other issue my older boy goes to a sen school and he along with the majority of pupils are bused there from all around the borough. His transport id free but only because there is not a suitable school nearer.

fluffymuffy

kegg wrote: »

I only posted the informtion as someone had already posted that faith schools qualify for free transport which is not the case.

That was me. I found that information on the government website and it also applies in our local area (I asked the Head of Admissions this morning. She was suitably embarrassed). It seems there is a lot of leeway for local authorities to adjust the policy. If it's policy then you should get funding - if you meet the other criteria such as being on maximum tax credits. Perhaps that's why you don't get funding? Rather than it not being available?

Fly_Baby

fluffymuffy wrote: »

The LA are free to interpret the law as they see fit. Other LAs include Gifted and Talented in Special Needs provision. Our authority is prepared to look at this through the appeal committee.

Fluffymuffy, I hope you find a solution for your girl - well done her, and she shouldn't feel discouraged to achieve further despite being in the bottom set.

Yet, if I may - and I am probably going to be shot for that - but you are already getting MUCH more from the local education system than many other parents. Your girl goes to a free grammar school, you get free school meals, you get help with uniform - that's what you mentioned. So probably you should be able to bear that one transport cost if the LEA wouldn't budge.

Most parents pay for school meals, for uniform, for trips, for afterschool clubs (there are no free ones in my son's school), for school bus or car petrol. And worry endlessly about which school their children will go to next - because there are so many good kids and so few good schools.

Errata

Fly_Baby wrote: »

Fluffymuffy, I hope you find a solution for your girl - well done her, and she shouldn't feel discouraged to achieve further despite being in the bottom set.

Yet, if I may - and I am probably going to be shot for that - but you are already getting MUCH more from the local education system than many other parents. Your girl goes to a free grammar school, you get free school meals, you get help with uniform - that's what you mentioned. So probably you should be able to bear that one transport cost if the LEA wouldn't budge.

Most parents pay for school meals, for uniform, for trips, for afterschool clubs (there are no free ones in my son's school), for school bus or car petrol. And worry endlessly about which school their children will go to next - because there are so many good kids and so few good schools.

Are you able to post some firm evidence to support all those sweeping generalisations ? Are are they merely your opinion ?

lleck

fluffymuffy wrote: »

And sit and do nothing all day? DD had literally completed ALL work available in science at the local school. Surely the education authority is obliged to provide an appropriate education to meet a child's needs?

How can a child finish the syllabus when they all take the same exam at the end of the year ? Albeit a grammar school tries for the higher grades.

My daughter is at a local comprehensive (by choice) my other daughter went to the grammar (which i hate) and they are both good schools, in fact the comp is a better all round school than the grammar, at the end of the day they do GCSEs taught to the same syllabus so how can a grammar school offer any more ? I thought they just finished the syllabus earlier then revised for months to get A* grades for all the students.

My younger daughter is doing more GCSEs than the older who went to the grammar even though she's at the comp and she's predicted 11.5 A*s whereas the grammar school daughter ONLY :rotfl:got 9

fluffymuffy

Fly_Baby wrote: »

you get free school meals, you get help with uniform - that's what you mentioned.

No. We qualify for them. We don't get them.

You get free school meals round here by applying at the school itself and taking proof of income into the school office. I wonder how many other parents are not prepared to go through that humiliation? I mentioned this to the Head of Admissions this morning when she asked if we "qualified for free school meals" - she readily accepts that the take up is low because of the way it is administered.

Youngest DD is wearing the uniform that the older DD grew out of. To claim for the new grammar school uniform we'd need to apply at the grammar school office for a form and take in proof of earnings. Hardly.