To think if you choose to send your kids to a school in another town you can't expect the tax payer to fund their travel

[sashh]

It's another picture with a sad face (well three).

Mum asked the county council for bus passes before they started. CC rejected it, she appealed and they rejected it again.

So knowing they were not eligable for bus passes she still sends them to school in another town and then complains because she can't get the passes she was told she couldn't get before they started school.

www.burnleyexpress.net/news/local-news/padiham-mum-keeps-her-twins-off-school-in-bus-passes-protest-1-4975587

[cantspel]

I chose to educate my youngest in a faith school so i footed the bill for travel. It cost me £45 per month in train fairs until we moved closer.
I dont think any councils fund travel to faith schools anymore and nor should they.

[AuntieStella]

I wonder what the 'new evidence' is?

Very few LAs provide transport to any schools other than the nearest (or any school if you were placed in it, having no offer from any listed preference). It can be a bit of a bugger for village families, where school transport used to run to two (pretty much equidistant) towns, giving parents a slither of choice. Now it's only one, so Hobson's choice.

[AuntieStella]

BTW, any experts know why the FURIOUS mother mentions FSM? Does Burnley still provide services above the statutory minimum (for which the qualifying measure for school transport is distance to school, not household income)?

[Pendeen]

YANBU.

The woman, however is BVU by her selfish attitude.

[Kendodd]

So I wonder has the truancy officer been round to see them yet or is she home schooling?

[mollymole]

I chose to send my son to a school that was not the 'designated' school so I paid for the transport. My choice of school then I pay. If there is a free of travel cost school available and you choose not to send your children to that school then I see no reason why the state should pay.

[OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos]

This woman's attitude is disgusting. Her children, her responsibility to get them to school, it's that simple.

I wonder if she actually goes to church and believes in her faith, or if she just liked that school best.

[ReallyTired]

I feel sorry for her. Its sad that faith schools are become the preserve of the rich. I feel its wrong that the local authority do not recongise her children are being church of england because they were baptised catholic.

I feel that the church of england is the best judge of who is church of england rather than the LEA.

Children who are in the baptised church of England and have free school dinners get free transport. If her county has the same rules then I think she should get transport.

[scaevola]

Perhaps the Parish could pay the bus fares?

[Moominsarescary]

I pay for transport as both mine have gone to schools that are out of catchment, my choice so I foot the bill.

There are some odd people about. I have 1 person on fb at the moment who's son is excluded from school yet again due to having a haircut that the school have deemed unsuitable and another pers

[Moominsarescary]

Another person who is planning on pulling her dc out of school because they have bought in a water or pure fruit juice policy for lunch boxes.

[DowagersHump]

Well if the CofE want her children to go to a CofE school, they can pay their bus fares then can't they? Why should it be the LEA's problem?

[OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos]

Why on earth does anywhere have a policy that you get free transport if you get FSMs!? Don't parents have to do anything for their children anymore?

[WelshMaenad]

I send my dd to a school that is not our nearest state primary. The village school is a Victorian two storey, totally unsuitable for dd who is physically disabled. I chose another primary, five miles away, that is all on one level.

I chose.

I pay to get her there.

Simple.

[Pendeen]

Do LEAs still have to provide free transport if a school becmes an academy?

[scaevola]

I thought it was distance to school, not FSM, for getting free transport.

[coppertop]

If their local rule is that children who get FSM should get free transport to a faith school then she's right to complain.

Whether or not such children should get free transport is a separate issue. If the rule exists then the local authority should comply.

[pinkdelight]

I guess it's hard for people to get their heads around how much things have been cut back. When I was a kid around there, my friend got a free bus pass from Burnley to St Wilfred's in Blackburn which, as the furious mum says, is further. I also got a free bus pass to Accrington for FE college, which would be unheard of now. If the mum grew up with such things being permitted, she might assume it would be possible to get the pass for Acccy, but those days are long gone. She's either got to get them there herself, move, or send them to Shuttleworth, which isn't the end of the world (although Burnley is a bit of a special case in having its secondary schools royally messed about with over recent years).

On a less serious note - Kamara and Xariah?? Times really have changed!

[Myliferocks]

My children go to a school 12miles away which we are out of catchment for.
My choice so we pay. It's not cheap but that was our decision. I certainly wouldn't expect somebody else to pay for us.
One of the reasons why we picked this school is because all of the schools within a 10 mile radius of us are CofE schools and we didn't want our children going to them with them religious.

[Myliferocks]

With them being religious.

[socharlotte]

YABU. If baptised catholics are eligible for free home to school transport, then so should those who have converted to catholicism.

[seeker]

"I send my dd to a school that is not our nearest state primary. The village school is a Victorian two storey, totally unsuitable for dd who is physically disabled. I chose another primary, five miles away, that is all on one level.

I chose.

I pay to get her there.

Simple."

But you shouldn't pay to get her there! The LEA should pay if the nearest school is unsuitable for her.

[ljny]

WelshMaenad, with due respect, it doesn't sound like you had a real choice - physical disability isn't a choice, it's not a preference or religion you can provide outside school hours! The LEA should pay her transport.

[pinkdelight]

Totally agree about disabled access, Seeker. No way she should be paying for that.