Withdrawal of Free Travel to school proposed.....

[medwaymum]

I have to say I'm not surprised with these proposals...both to increase the FP and to get rid of free H2S transport....we all knew cuts like these were coming in the current climate. I have been following this thread with interest and would like to make two points. First, I don't think it should be means tested because most means testing is an absolute joke - as one poster already pointed out, if both parents work and you are making ends meet then you are considered 'wealthier'. Secondly, my friends in Medway aren't able to buy a FP and would cut their arm off to pay £100 per year - currently it can cost approx £20-25 per week per child on the bus!

[ausvic]

Have you also considered what other KCC services have been cut in the past, or would have to be cut (ie social servcies, eldery etc) so that you could have cheap travel?? Perhaps it will now stop 'non-locals' applying to Judds, Skinners etc if they have to pay for transport. That will please some people I am sure

[pheasantchick]

It wouldn't stop non-locals as they would probably already have to pay for transport to get there anyway. ie. by train. It woudl affect (effect?) cleverer kids who would now no longer get free transport if there is another school closer.

(I knew Judd would get ino this debate eventually )

[ausvic]

£100 per year for a good education is not a lot. It does appear in that part of Kent there are a lot of children tutored to get into these schools and a lot come from private junior schools. I really don't think there are many 'borderline' financial families in that part of Kent. Ok there are some but if the rest of the well off people paid their way then the ones who 'truly' could not afford it could get a discount. It is not your right to have free transport to school. As I have said before we don't have the benefit of cheap/free transport in my area. My petrol costs to get my kids to school cost more than £100 per month. You need to put this in perspective.

[T12ACY]

ausvic my problem is with having made a choice based on existing policy to send my DS to the closest available school which is suitable for his education, ie. a GS. This means a bus and train journey every day. I agree that a charge of £100.00 is not a lot for such an education, however I am not alone in that the Kent Freedom Pass is only accepted on the Bus (if he can even get on it as they are regularly full and he has to wait for 2 or 3 to go by before he can get on one!) so it will not cover getting my child to school. The train journey will not be covered if his free home to school transport is withdrawn.

Will I make cut backs in other areas and pay for it myself? Of course I will, but I don't have to agree that it is reasonable. Every area has it's own policies, and in Kent we have had free home to school transport if you meet the criteria. Your area, I am sure, has policies which Kent doesn't.

If I am honest I would prefer to see the Freedom Pass scrapped over the free home to school scheme. While it is of course great kids can travel round on the bus for what is a nominal amount in reality, I don't believe it should be at the cost of getting a child to their nearest appropriate school paid for by the LA or even if they kept the FP scheme and charged £100.00 to include the train. I would of course snap their arm off (although would rather it stayed at £50.00)

[T12ACY]

A consultation has begun on the proposal and can be found here:

http://consultations.kent.gov.uk/consul ... tationHome" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For those of use with children already in the system there should be no change

6. The proposals
It is proposed that:
(i) From 1 September 2012, Kent County Council will not provide home to school transport
provision beyond its existing statutory duties outlined at the front of this document.
(ii) Any pupils in receipt of transport assistance prior to September 2012 will continue to
retain this entitlement until such time as they leave the current school or are no longer of
statutory school age.

I still intend to comment and believe that anyone with an interest should also voice their support / concerns. The proposal is not as straightforward as it looks. For example if you move the funding will be assessed based on the existing policy, so you would lose the protected funding.......

Certainly worth a read!

[frustrated]

My DS's grammar school was deemed as 'the nearest appropriate school for transport purposes', verified by KCC when queried last year, but it seems that under the new proposals this might not be the case any longer. Confused.

DS2 is due to go up to secondary school in September 2012, so would I then have to pay if he goes to a grammar school too? Very confused!

I wouldn't mind TOO much as long as there will be an installment plan in place - cannot find any information anywhere as to whether or not this would be the case - I would find it very difficult to find the money all at once otherwise.

It feels to me as if this could part of another plan to address dropping rolls in less popular schools as well as a council money saving operation. My local school (a secondary modern) fills less than half of its available year 7 spaces every year which is quite dire, and the new proposals would mean that more spaces might be filled in less popular schools as a result. Could this be another, hidden reason why they are proposing to make changes?

Forgive me, I do tend to over-analyse things at times, but I do wonder........

[T12ACY]

frustrated I totally agree. The local 'academy' supposedly is an all ability school (if you ignore Ofsted) and therefore the fact DS attends a GS would be at our choice so we would have to pay to get him there. The consultation does say if your DC is already in the system they would continue to receive free transport but for those starting from September 2012 (or if DC changes school or you move house) there will be a fee. If it runs like the freedom pass there is no option for instalments, and how could a parent with 2, 3 or even 4 children affected by the changes afford that?

Glad we will be protected, and DH is thrilled I won't want to move for at least another 5 years!

[MarbleRun]

Here I am, only just managed to get a place at TWGSB and already moaning about something else.

So: has anyone actually found out for sure yet if our "nearest appropriate school for transport" means a grammar school if you have a "selective" assessment (Specifically TWGSB for people who live in Sevenoaks) ?

I quite agree that the Freedom Pass would do the job, but are KCC really saying that we have a selective system but then turning round and saying for the purposes of transport we don't and should all be going to Knole else we've got to find our own way? Seems a bit outrageous (although by no means the most outrageous thing they've done lately ). I feel another Letter of Complaint coming on, but I'm getting a bit fed up of writing them to be honest.

[T12ACY]

LOL - Well this has been dragged from the depths!!!

As far as I am aware you would only get free home to school transport to your DC's nearest available school now, KCC have withdrawn the 'most appropriate' from the criteria. What it means is you will have to most probably pay for the 'Freedom Pass' and rail travel is taken out for most families altogether, unless you want to pay for it yourself.....

The benefit of the Freedom pass is DC can use it on other routes and at times other than the journey to and from school. It is subsidised but £100 to find in one go is a large amount for some families (us included)! KCC would probably argue that you don't have to send DC to a 'super selective' as an all ability school would cater for 'all' children so they are only willing to support your child attending the closest option to home. I don't agree with the policy as a parent of a DC who travels to another town for school, but as a tax payer I can see the cost implications and potential saving from the restrictions.

Good luck with your letter!