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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Re School Transport

174 replies

KrazyKurls · 05/08/2013 10:58

I honestly don't know if I am being unreasonable over this, please give me some perspective!

We live 1.9 miles from DS1's school and he has up until now been taking the school bus at a cost of £90 per annum. We live on a 60 mph country road with no pavements, absolutely no safe way to walk to school, there is no public transport at all.

We are really struggling financially at the moment and I phoned the school transport people today to appeal payment (we have 3 DC so will soon be £300 per annum). I was told that school transport is offered as a safe route to school and that is what we should use. I did say what if we absolutely cannot afford to get DS to school? Her response was to appeal but she has never known anyone get away with not paying in 4 years.

I could have taken him in the car but DH needs this for work, he has recently had his company car and fuel car taken off him due to cut backs.

To put into context we have had to move 400 miles away, rent out or own home at a loss, take on a massive rent (but the cheapest we could find) to allow DH to stay in a job. We have cut back to the bare bones of everything, I can't think of any other way that we can economise.

I can't work as DH works erratic hours often not home till after 9 pm and most weekends. We have no childcare as so far from friends and family. I am applying to do an induction course though into childminding.

The cut off to pay is 2 miles.

OP posts:
allmycats · 05/08/2013 14:29

OP has said that it is only 1 child (for this year) @ £90 for the whole year
and that she has been told to apply for monthly payments when the whole £90 becomes due - so why is she not letting this drop and is pre-empting circumstances that may (or may not) arise in another year or more.

DoubleLifeIsALifeHalved · 05/08/2013 15:06

I think you are right at the edge and utterly drained trying to make things work. And it's miserable. And tiring. And grinding.

I have lots of empathy and compassion for you, and am cavalierly ignoring the callous lack of compassion on this thread in the hope it goes away Flowers

Life is bloody hard sometimes and especially now, it can seem like there is no end in sight (God knows I feel like that!). But please try and keep a bit of hope somewhere in the midst of everything. Keep fighting and things can get a bit better, not just worse. But it takes alot to feel that I do understand

Some of the advice sounds good, keep pushing for them to demonstrate this 'safe route' and explain why it's safe, and go from there...

ilovesooty · 05/08/2013 15:08

Well said Double

Bunnyjo · 05/08/2013 15:39

We live 1.8mile away from DD's school and we are entitled to free school transport. The walking route would be over 3 different 60mph roads, one of which is a main A road - the trunk road linking Carlisle to Newcastle.

As others have said, I would definitely ask the council to define the safe walking route and take things from there. IIRC, our council define safe walking routes by how busy the road is and the presence of footpaths/street lighting.

sheridand · 05/08/2013 17:55

We live 2.5 miles from the school it's our catchment school, and we walk or bike! There's no transport unless you're in the next village along. It truly didn't even cross my mind that people were geting transport for lesser distances. Mine have been walking, scooting, or biking it since they were 3, along country roads ( we're rural). We enjoy it. It takes us about 30/40 minutes to walk it, and as I also work at the school, and need to be there at 8.30, we leave early. I love noticing the seasons, the school walk is often the best time for getting the chat from the kids, and we are all as fit as butchers dogs. When dd was in Reception, she sat on my bike seat the way home. I did the same when I was a kid, a good 3 mile walk. People can walk 4 miles an hour: I don't think a couple of miles is a drag, under parental supervision. It can be fun! I love it, it's my special time of the day with them, when I hear their news. I come prerpared at pick up with snacks, obv.

Our council did use to provide transport to the next nearest secondary ( the one in our village is the same distance as the primary, more or less), which is 18 miles away, but they don't do that anymore. I'm aghast at the differences between what is aceptable to walk or not. I really think my kids have managed doing 5 miles a day. In the past in my area though, it wasn't uncommon for people to walk in from 8, 10 miles away.

SuperiorCat · 05/08/2013 18:13

Wow the lack of sympathy for a poster struggling under the weight of financial worry is staggering.

Original poster
KrazyKurls · 05/08/2013 18:26

sheridand have you read the thread? I live amongst miles of woodland and lovely country walks just none heading towards the school and walk for miles and miles for something to entertain the kids for free. We collect pine cones, rocks, rain samples and are also very fit and active. I'm not slobbing on the couch moaning about having to walk! The road is completely unwalkable, this is not an exaggeration!

Right now I can see the road from the window, there is a car/van lorry a second, doing at least 60 mph. There is no pavement or even banking - one side of the road has a 30 metre drop the other has a large ditch about a foot in from the road - we would have to walk in single file in the wrong direction to the traffic.

Thank you SuperiorCat the empathy from some lovely posters has really lifted my mood Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
KrazyKurls · 05/08/2013 18:27

Bunnyjo I have just today found out the name of the road, it is also an A road. Our cut off is defiantly two miles - think this is due to the vastness of the area.

OP posts:
Bowlersarm · 05/08/2013 18:34

Well good for you sheridand.

Unfortunately the OP wouldn't be having the same experience as you as she clearly lives on a much busier, more dangerous road.

Marmalada · 05/08/2013 18:35

There is statutory guidance on free transport to school which lists the categories of eligible children here. On page 19 it talks about safe routes and what the local authority has to do to show a route is safe. It is not unheard of for LAs to be in breech of this when trying to save money on transport costs. I think your starting point should be to look at safety of the route, particularly in light of the recent deaths.
By the way, I am assuming that your DS is at his nearest school as, if you have chosen to send him to one further away, then the above info isn't relevant.

inneedofsomehelpplz · 05/08/2013 18:38

i dont understand why, when people struggle that getting handouts is the answer when actually working is the answer??!! the school already subsidise public transport for ops child (not children) & op should be thinking of other ways to pay. sorry if this seems harsh but i have to work bloody hard to pay for things like this. so op why not get a job after 9 when dh arrives home? :-)

OwlinaTree · 05/08/2013 18:43

Well, children are entitled to a free state education. And isn't part of that getting there? From what the OP says it's not so much the distance she has to walk, it's the safety of the walk. Makes no difference if it's 1.9 miles or 0.5 miles if it is not safe.

If this is the closest school, I really feel the OP is doing her best here. Why should she have to home school just because she doesn't have a car? £90 might be good value for the service, but that's not really the point. She says she can't cycle or walk. What if she had a sudden disability that meant she couldn't drive or walk her children to school even 0.2 miles? Would you think she should be left to it then because it was her choice to have children? ffs! This is a five year old!

It's great that some of you are able to walk or cycle miles to school and enjoy doing so, but it doesn't mean that that is the best solution for everybody.

OP, sounds like you are having a terrible time at the mo. I can't offer much useful advice I'm afraid, except to say talk to the school and see if you can come to some arrangement regarding paying at a later date, some sort of support grant, paying in instalments. I think you would struggle to get two reliable cars for the price of your husband's one car.

Good luck to you OP.

ilovesooty · 05/08/2013 18:46

inneed you keep harping on about this. Because you do it it doesn't mean it's necessarily feasible for the OP.

I see enough posts on here saying that being at home with small children (and remember one of the OP's has health issues) is work. Then suddenly it's ok to suggest she finishes that stint and goes off to work as soon as her husband gets home?

And your reference to "handouts" is really offensive. It doesn't sound as though the OP has exactly spent her life on the take. Have some empathy for heaven's sake.

OwlinaTree · 05/08/2013 18:47

Inneedofsomehelppiz

She's asking for help to get her child to school - it's hardly a luxury is it? And she's trying to sort a job too. She's not giving the impression that she doesn't want to pay, it does appear to be a can't pay senario.

OwlinaTree · 05/08/2013 18:48

Inneedofsomehelppiz

She's asking for help to get her child to school - it's hardly a luxury is it? And she's trying to sort a job too. She's not giving the impression that she doesn't want to pay, it does appear to be a can't pay senario.

inneedofsomehelpplz · 05/08/2013 18:48

good point owl BUT the education department do not give free transport for every child, i wish they did as mine costs a fortune. i to live on a main road but the difference i work hard to pay & never see my dh so if op gets it free, then we all should. there are rules in place &if they break them for one then they should for all of us

OwlinaTree · 05/08/2013 18:50

Sorry didn't mean to post that twice! Once is enough to make any point, sorry Inneed

inneedofsomehelpplz · 05/08/2013 18:52

yes iabu but i have to work juggling 5 kids during the day & living on 3/4 hours sleep & rarely seeing dh. if i didnt have to pay for school transport & dinners, i could give up working or pay for treats. so if op gets free transport then i will appeal as why should i work my socks off if i dont have to?!

OwlinaTree · 05/08/2013 18:52

I would agree Inneed, seems wrong that all children can't attend their nearest school for free. I think the OP would be prepared to pay too from what she says, but really can't and is worrying about this.

Maybe we need to work on changing these rules, does seem wrong to me.

OwlinaTree · 05/08/2013 18:55

Do you have to pay for school dinners?

Wibblypiglikesbananas · 05/08/2013 18:56

Hi OP, I think you've had a terribly rough ride on here. It seems like you've had loads to cope with and you're doing your best in a very trying situation.

Let's focus on this year. So - you'll need £90 for the transport from September and then double that next year and then triple that the year after? So - whilst it may feel tough now, a lot can change in that time. Hang in there and get focused on where the £90 can come from if your appeal isn't successful.

Market research? I used to be signed up to loads of websites, and do online surveys etc. A fiver a time a couple of times a week will add up and might help if you can pay in installments? Failing that, how about market research focus groups? They're paid with a 'cash incentive' and so not taxable - often up to £60 a time to chat about the bread aisle in Tesco or wherever.

I'm assuming you've done a car boot sale and ebayed old toys/prams/anything else you can do without?

I'd also second the posters who said check re the Ts and Cs of your husband's job. Years ago, my dad used to have a company car for work and when they cut them back, everyone got a payout to enable them to buy another car as that was part of the deal. They were then given access to a pool of cars to use for work purposes. If nothing else, surely his workplace would need to ensure that the cars their employees were using for work purposes were adequately serviced and insured etc. Are his work providing business use insurance cover or are you having to cover that?

Best of luck sorting everything out.

DuchessofHaphazard · 05/08/2013 18:57

I'm stunned at the lack of sympathy on this thread, as well as the constant "well you should just walk". OP, I'm in a pretty similar situation re distance from school - we live 1.8 miles away in a different village. The only road connecting the two is a 60 mph road, no pavement, with a number of blind bends and dips. There is no way I could safely take DS to school either walking or cycling along it, especially with DD (8mo) in tow, as, like you, there isn't even a bank for most of it (hedge one side, ditch the other for most of the way).

However, our LEA's criteria for free school buses is based on SAFE walking distance from school. They have assessed the route to school from our village as unsafe (based on speed, visibility, especially in winter, and lack of pavement), and so DS gets the bus for free. They also specifically note that if you do not get a free school bus place (not applicable to us, but I've had a look) and appeal, financial circumstances cannot be used as a reason for the appeal, you have to appeal on the grounds either that they have applied their criteria incorrectly, or that they should make an exception in your case.

Given that you say you live 1.9miles from the school - have you actually measured it, door-to-door? I don't know if you would be able to walk it yourself (without kids) one day, and use a pedometer? It may be that you find the extra 0.1mile somewhere. Otherwise, appeal on the grounds they should make an exception, take a number of photographs of the route. It may also be worth logging the traffic along that road for a few days at school run time (number of cars and type eg). It may also be worth trawling the datasets for government statistics on road accidents here to see how many accidents there have been along that road. The data sets you would need are the Road Safety - Accidents and Road Safety - Casualties for the last few years - be warned, they are quite big. Once you've downloaded them, you'll need to filter by '1st Road Class' (choose 3, meaning A road), and then by '1st Road Number' (select the number of the A road you are on.

I hope that helps, you have my sympathy, as that is a really tough situation to be in.

inneedofsomehelpplz · 05/08/2013 18:58

yes,.i have to pay for x4 childrens school dinners + travel at £300 a year EACH as not safe for them to walk/bike BUT instead of worrying i got a shitty job stacking shelves at night which just about covers these expenses BUT i chose to have 5 dc so my job to ensure they are provided for.

ilovesooty · 05/08/2013 19:00

yes iabu but i have to work juggling 5 kids during the day & living on 3/4 hours sleep & rarely seeing dh. if i didnt have to pay for school transport & dinners, i could give up working or pay for treats. so if op gets free transport then i will appeal as why should i work my socks off if i dont have to?!

So do you live on an unsafe route? The rest of what you're posting is just bile. OK, you have it hard. Doesn't make it necessary for you to insult the OP by talking about "handouts".

BrokenSunglasses · 05/08/2013 19:01

It is possible to sympathise with a difficult situation at the same time as thinking that it's not up to the LA to spend its already very thinly stretched budget on sorting it out.

There are loads of parents at my ds's school that have to pay for public transport/subsidised transport/or their own private transport to ensure their children get the education they are entitled to. It's a major bill for many of us, and finding the money can be difficult. But it is a parents responsibility to provide a safe way of getting their children to school, not the local councils IMO.