Coach Transport Proposal - Reading - Langley/UPGS/SB

[pmootyen]

Dear All

We have applied to UPGS for our Son (if he gets a place), we are based in Spencers Wood/ Shinfield . There is a proposed coach from Wokingham with a few stops.



Going From
Wokingham Train Station
Winnersh Cross Roads
Earley Train Station
Beech Lane
Rushey Way

Going to
Langley Grammar
Upton Court
St Bernards

The cost of this service will be £1980.00 per year split into Term or Month payments if needed. We will need one month up front to secure your place and we will need a minimum of 20 passengers to start this service.

We have not included Herschel Grammar as the timings will not fit with the other school’s but we welcome your feedback and would also appreciate it if you could pass this information onto anyone who may be interested. Please could you send a response back to me by 29th March as we would want to get a time table finalised and places sold before the May half term. Please email: info@fargocoaches.co.uk

We have registered or interest for closer to Spencers Wood and also 1 other parent has to - If you are closer to Spencesr Wood way suggest you register your interest also as teh route has not yet been finalised.

Many Thanks

[Tinkers]

From previous posts I’ve seen, I think there’s already a service to Herschel and most of those in the Earley area that chose a Slough school have previously plumped Herschel as that was the one most likely to give places as far as Reading. Although their changes to admission throws that into doubt this year ( and may impact Upton Court but who knows).

I’m not a Slough expert, but I doubt Langley will offer places this far, as they have priority areas. They haven’t in previous years.

[kenyancowgirl]

£2000 a year? Wow......! You'd have to have some really duff schools around you to be able to stump up that amount for transport to another school....Is that the case?

I balk at the £800 a year we have to pay from September for the bus pass - particularly as I know that, as I like my boys to get involved in all the extra curricular activities that first attracted us to the school we chose, which means they can't actually get the bus home, so have to be given a lift....does this bus service run late buses to accommodate all that sort of thing too?

[KatharineB]

Living on the doorstep of 3 Slough Grammars I don't like posts like this. The Grammars in Slough are good but not that spectacular to warrant such an expense. I went to 2 of them and the teaching in them were no better than when I went to TVU in Reading after. In some subjects teaching was actually rather poor and uninspiring. There are plenty of great schools in the Reading area so I just can't understand league table following for schools that have not even been Ofsted inspected in years.

Slough Grammars are finally getting their act together with the issue of many places not going to local children over high scoring tourists so I would wait until places are offered before arranging a new coach service. There are increasing numbers of feeder school places, PP places and new priority zones.

[scary mum]

Please be aware that if admissions criteria change over the next few year to make the schools more "local" a bus service could be unsustainable if no new students are going from a particular area.

[pmootyen]

This was just to share information - it does seem high we also have 2 local schools in our list . But wanted to share.

[Tinkers]

Please be aware that if admissions criteria change over the next few year to make the schools more "local" a bus service could be unsustainable if no new students are going from a particular area.

This has happened locally with Piggot school. Up to recent years, a quite a number local to us got places, but as it’s got more popular and church attendance (it’s a church school) moved down the pecking order on the admissions (I believe), more local children got places, so fewer in the area around me got places to the point I think very few now do. The LA did provide transport but basically told parents they would be stopping it as so few were using it, leaving some completely at a loss as to how they were now getting their children to school. Some were in gcse or A level years so did not have the option of changing schools at all. I’m not sure how that panned out. DD briefly considered it for sixth form as a back up, but the rejected it when she heard the bus would be disappearing.


I wouldn’t be surprised if Upton Court follow the lead of Langley and now Herschel and have priority areas, reducing the numbers getting places from Reading/Earley. In my view that’s no bad thing, I personally think travelling from here to Slough by road is too much for them especially when we have several decent schools locally. There is absolutely no reason for them to need to travel to Slough.

[nextstep]

Any one secured a place in UPGS or ST. Bernard's and travelling from Lower Early/Shinfield/Spencerwood, Please let me know and will be interested to explore possible travel options. Thanks in advance.

[Tinkers]

Any one secured a place in UPGS or ST. Bernard's and travelling from Lower Early/Shinfield/Spencerwood, Please let me know and will be interested to explore possible travel options. Thanks in advance.

The OP hasn’t logged on since the 28th Feb, so I suspect (given their score) they didn’t get a place at Upton Court, so has no need for transport to Slough.

There was one other poster on the forum interested in this coach but I don’t know if they will reach the minimum of 20 required. With good local schools most people don’t opt to make their children travel to Slough.

Do you have a back up plan if this coach service doesn’t work out?