AIBU to be annoyed with school over this ?

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

Ds (almost 6) attends a free school which he has attended since he was 3 (nursery) it is a small school , 13 students per class .
Ds has ADHD & Aspergers .

Two days before the holidays just gone we received a letter saying they were starting a school mini bus for students without transport & who struggle to get to school so I sent a letter back the next day explaining how much I struggle getting Ds to school because of his problems.
Such as I can't use public transport because Ds has no concept of danger & he just runs in to roads in front of traffic also goes mad if somebody is in his seat on the bus .
So I have taken to using a taxi everyday to get him their and back which is a struggle as he opens the doors and sticks his head out of the window , the Taxis are costing me £11 a day we can't walk as its too far and I can't change his school as he would not cope in a mainstream school .

I didn't hear anything back from the school so I spoke to the Headteacher today & it turns out they already chose the students for the mini bus a week before sending the letter out , all the students that were chosen don't have special needs and all live within walking distance to the school & previously were taken by their parents in cars .

So AIBU to wonder why Ds wasn't offered/ given a seat when I barely manage to get him to school in one piece everyday yet the letter that was sent home stated that it was for 'children in need' which I & several other parents took to mean those without their own transport and those with special needs ?

[Balaboosta]

Yes. Definitely. YANBU to ask.

[ChippingInAutumnLover]

YANBU

That makes no sense at all?

Sounds like it's more about reducing the traffic around the school OR those parents have got together and organised it... How many of them are on the team that has set this up?

What did the Head say when you pointed out that you DS needs this service and the others are within walking distance?

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

I just got told its too late now as all the seats are taken and I should of enquired earlier

I'd give my left leg to put Ds in another bloody school without such favouritism

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Yanbu. What's the point in picking those who can easily walk there

That is extremely unfair and very underhanded to pre pick the kids and give no one a chance

[clam]

Was this letter asking who would be interested in such a service, or was it an information letter saying "this is happening, so be aware there will be a minibus arriving at the gates at such-and-such a time?

[SaucyJackOLantern]

YANBU to wonder.

Doesn't mean there isn't a good reason behind it tho. I'm quite sure they weren't just picked at random.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

I'd put good money on there being some confusion here - it just doesn't make sense for the school to introduce a mini bus service for a small group of hand picked students who don't need it

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

It was letter asking if anybody would be interested and if so to let the school know .

With how this school are they won't of been picked at random

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

It's 26 students and their didn't seem to be any confusion when I spoke to the head

[lougle]

How far from the school do you live?

[SaucyJackOLantern]

Are you suggesting it's favouritism?

Are the parents all quite involved with the PTA etc., or are they just a bunch of brown nosers?

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

Saucy Yes I would not be surprised if it was favouritism as the school have quite a history of it , parents are all involved with school in different ways .

I live a 25 minute walk from school which involves a very busy main road , it's 10 minutes on a bus/taxi

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Is it possible that they are only able to offer transport and not additional suppprt whilst onboard for your son? It sounds like he would require 1-to-1 supervision whilst on board and if they arent able to provode that then they may not be able to extend the invitation to him? It also may be prohobitive to allow you to travel with him

[clam]

How were you supposed to enquire about it before you received the letter home? Or perhaps a more pertinent question is, how did those other parents know about the plan before the letter home?

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

Ds is a perfectly well behaved and well mannered child when with his Teachers from school & manages day trips etc without the slightest of hiccups so he definitely would not need any 1-1 or anything like that

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

Clam I think they expect me to be psychic

[Quitelikely]

OP do not let this go. I wonder if this bus is being funded specifically for children with SN.

Oh yes they can cancel someone else's place.

It is random to put on free transport. Do you know why they did it in the first place

[Sunna]

There won't be any teachers on the minibus, only other children and the driver. I'm not sure your DS would be safe without an escort, given your description of his behaviour. Sticking his head out of the window and opening and closing the door is not acceptable and would make it unsafe for the other children.

[ShadowKat]

YANBU to be annoyed.

At the very least, the communication around this sounds extremely bad. Is there a possibility that you received the letter late for some reason and therefore missed the closing date for your DS to be considered for a place in the bus? Was something along the lines of "please make enquires by date xxx if you want to be considered" even mentioned?

If the parents of the pupils selected found out earlier than everyone else and filled the bus before the letter was officially sent, then that's extremely unfair.

And regardless of the reasons behind their decision, it would have been polite to send a response telling you that he didn't have a place on the bus. Not to mention an explanation of the criteria used to select the lucky pupils.

[SticksOutLikeDogsBalls]

At the risk of pissing off a lot of ppl.... Your child has been there for 3 years... You take him and collect him in a taxi....in all that time it has never occurred to you to do something proactive like getting a license?

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

The Head is the mini bus driver and their is also a teacher sat with the children as well as I said my Ds does not do any of the opening doors or head sticking out of window when he is with staff/students from school

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

Stick I am unable to drive for health reasons !
Also my Ds behaviour/needs have only been this bad since last May before then he was manageable on the bus .

[GhoulWithADragonTattoo]

This sounds extremely unfair and unreasonable on the part of the school. I would put your concerns in writing to the head and ask for a meeting to discuss your letter. I would them complain to the school governors if head doesn't change the decision.

[Doubtfuldaphne]

You must fight for this. I'm fed up of schools dealing with things in such a slapdash way. Crap communication too.
Follow their complaints procedure and contact he governors or LEA.
I have successfully campaigned for my dc to get the bus.

[ShadowKat]

Sticks Out - the question of whether or not the OP should learn to drive and get a car isn't really relevant to her issue about her DS not getting a place on the minibus, is it?