Education Education Educatuon

[helentarn1906]

Dear all mumsnetters
Yet again the councils and government are playing disgusting unethical games with our family lives. I ask if you could help us start an on-line petition and create awareness of the fact that parents in the south Staffordshire area today received letters explaining that school bus services would no longer run unless parents pay an extra £375 per child. The alternative to this is to send your child to the nearest local school regardless of whether this school falls within the south Staffordshire area.
For most of the parents the nearest schools are over the county borders and therefore no bus service is available as we don?t pay our rates to said councils.
The only option then is to drive our children to school as this area is made up predominantly of suburbs and local villages no school in or out of our borders is within walking distance, hence the need for a bus service in the first place. Where does that leave working parents? I was under the impression we were to reduce our carbon footprint!? The schools we have been told to send our children to, are in many cases already over subscribed, so this will also have a major impact on them. So far none of the afore mentioned schools have been informed. I can only assume that for families that have no way of getting their children to and from school, will have to be provided with a taxi service, costing the council even more money and uprooting children needlessly.
The school that our children currently go to has the potential to lose 40% of its intake should parents decide to move their children to the closest schools. Thus leading to the close of a perfectly good school and putting other schools at the risk of over-subscription and poorer education for our children as class sizes would have to increase.
In addition to all of this the council has only seen fit to inform the parents of the children that will be moving up schools next year. So a vast majority of families that will be affected by this are unaware that its happening.
My family live in a rural village called Great chatwell this village and surrounding villages have very poor roads leading in and out , no street lights, no public transport AT ALL, no public services what so ever. I can only assume we have the most expensive Bin collection service in the country!

This move by the council could mean that a family with 3 children would have to pay an extra £1125 per year.
I am well aware of cuts that have to be made but south staffs council already has a reputation for spending the least amount in the country per child on education.

Please, please I ask you help us with our predicament

Yours hopefully.
Helen