Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

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scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by scary mum »

Does anyone know how BCC will calculate the home-school distance for transport purposes? It says on their website that it may be different to the method used for allocations. I thought I would try on here since their phone number given for enquiries about this sends you through several layers of "press 1 for..." until it goes dead and they aren't answering e-mails. While I'm at it, how do we go about applying for a "discretionary" place on the bus?
scary mum
andyb
Posts: 645
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:27 am
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by andyb »

I don't know how the distance is calculated for buses except that it seems to be done to the yard :roll: .

To apply for DS1's discretionary pass I phoned BCC (admissions I think), told him where he wanted to get on and what school he was attending, I also knew the service number and contractor as he had a friend already on the bus. They put his name on the waiting list in the April and he was eventually offered a seat in October half term - I was phoning them every couple of weeks from the start of term for an update :oops: .

I don't know if the system will change now. I don't even know if he will get his discretionary pass renewed as it has been for the last 2 years or whether we have to start the process all over again. As for getting DS2 a seat (on the same bus to the same school)....the reply I got to my email basically said don't contact us :evil:
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by scary mum »

Thanks andyb. I have visions of DS2 waving off DD and DS1 every morning on the bus too. We live almost slap bang in the middle of the two schools, but I have a sneaking suspicion they will find a way to make it further to the GS than the US :twisted:
scary mum
andyb
Posts: 645
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:27 am
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by andyb »

scary mum wrote:.......but I have a sneaking suspicion they will find a way to make it further to the GS than the US :twisted:
I think that is a given :wink:
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by scary mum »

Guess what, we aren't eligible. I would love to hear from anyone who is! I have heard of a few going to our catchment upper school who have not got it either. Presumably they are nearer to another upper school which no-one has ever considered going to as it isn't our catchment school!

I was expecting to have to pay, even though I don't think it's fair that it is just because DS is going to a GS, but for them to now inform us that it would cost £56 more per year should we choose to pay termly just incenses me. :evil: :evil:
scary mum
faitaccompli
Posts: 357
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:44 pm

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by faitaccompli »

I had a really confusing letter this morning (bearing in mind I live approx 0.3 km from the school) the reason they gave for not giving my DS home to school transport was "because there is a closer school he could attend". Actually, the nearest senior school to my house is nearly one mile from my house (excluding SWB)! I don't need him to have HTS transport, but was surprised at the reason they gave for not offering it!
andyb
Posts: 645
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:27 am
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by andyb »

We received a letter dated 30/4 letter saying DS2 was not eligible (no surprise as he is going to GS and allegedly all parents of GS children have money to burn :evil: ) and that we could ask for his name to be put on the waiting list for discretionary travel. I had already phoned BCC and put his name down and have a letter dated 17/4 saying he is on the waiting list - do they not talk to each other :? ? The very nice chap at BCC confirmed that DS2 is on the waiting list and all we have to do now is ...well, wait! We didn't get a letter for DS1 (discretionary ticket to the same school on the same bus) so I hope we get the renewal letter as normal.
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by scary mum »

When I spoke to them they said the renewals would come through as usual. They seem to have sent out all sorts of odd letters and I know of at least one person where the GS is not their closest school, but is in the same road as the upper school so they HAVE got free transport - I'm amazed, I though BCC would do everything they could to avoid paying. I imagine their phone lines have been very busy this week with all the confusion. The people near us who are the most cross are the ones sending their DCs to the catchment US which is not actually the nearest school (by a few hundred yards). I wonder if they will try and change all the boundaries to avoid arguments over this in future years as they can't really have it both ways (or can they?). School X is your catchment school so we expect you to go there, but school Y happens to be closer so we won't pay.
scary mum
heartmum
Posts: 1154
Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:35 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by heartmum »

scary mum wrote: ... I wonder if they will try and change all the boundaries to avoid arguments over this in future years as they can't really have it both ways (or can they?). School X is your catchment school so we expect you to go there, but school Y happens to be closer so we won't pay.
Parents where we live are being charged for transport, even though their DC is going to their nearest 'own county/catchment' upper school!!!

Free transport should be provided for those who attend their nearerst 'own county/catchment' school NOT an out of county (OOC) school. Remember that with OOC schools, the child does not have an automatic right to attend there, only getting a place if they have spaces after allocation to those living in that catchment/county.

More cars onthe road then ... that'll help the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT)!!!!!
Heartmum x x x
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: Buckinghamshire home to school transport again

Post by scary mum »

Free transport should be provided for those who attend their nearerst 'own county/catchment' school NOT an out of county (OOC) school. Remember that with OOC schools, the child does not have an automatic right to attend there, only getting a place if they have spaces after allocation to those living in that catchment/county
Some of the people I mentioned above are wondering if this has happened to them as the nearest school is actually in another county. They have asked the obvious question "please tell us which is our nearest school?" as the letter doesn't tell you this.
scary mum
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