AIBU to expect school transport?

[mumof3boys33]

This has made me annoyed. So AIBU?
We live in 3 miles from our local village school. It is the school of the village in our address. There is a slightly nearer school but it is not our catchment school and also across the border in a different county.
When the children at the school reach year 7 they automatically move up to the nearby secondary school. It is our catchment secondary school. There are various school buses picking up at various places. My oldest 2 get picked up at on our front drive and taken the 7.5 miles to school (obviously picking up lots more children on the way) We do have a nearer secondary school that is not our catchment school as it is across the border, it is only 4 miles away. No transport is provided as the buses don't cross the border. Which is fair enough. Hence attending the catchment school. In our county.
Anyway, my oldest has been offered his 6th form place at the school he's attended for 5 years along with his friends. I applied for a place on the school bus, I know I have to pay £230 a term for this bus, but assumed he would get the bus as usual. I received a letter saying he cannot get on the bus as the school over the border is nearer. I must admit I was not expecting this to happen. So I appealed. Appeal turned down.
AIBU to be angry? It means I have drive 150 miles a week on a journey the bus is doing anyway. It will still be reversing up my drive to pick up the other child. It seems bonkers to me. Why should he change schools? Why should another council school him when we pay tax to our council? It's madness. They say he can cycle the 4 miles to the other school (on a very busy main road) or obviously I take him. The primary school is the same direction as the current secondary (5 miles further on) so if I do have to drive then it doesn't make much difference fuel wise which school. But I still think it's madness.

planetclom have you checked your L.A. ruling? Whilst DS2 was in school his SN transport was free. When he went to FE his needs were assessed and they agreed he still needed door to door (We do have to pay a contribution of £600 a year, but given we had to pay for DS1's bus when he was in college we didn't feel it was unfair).

We had a similar argument 're A levels OP. Although our nearer school doesn't offer one of the A levels my daughter is doing their argument was it doesn't matter which ones she does because she has no clear vocation yet.

The main road/ no cycling at this age requires clarification. It is an actual non motorway road right? So I call bollocks that it can't be cycled. It's probably safer than windy country roads with blind corners for a cyclist.

I agree. I would much rather cycle a busy road than a back lane and regularly did so on my ride to school when I was much younger than 16.

Also,If I've read the op correctly. The school four miles away is the one with the 'dangerous road' , not the one he attends now which is 7 miles away. The op didn't mention any treacherous roads in relation to that school.

Yes I have said I can re apply in Sept for spare seat. At the moment the mini bus only has 5 children on including my 2. The minibus drops them 2 miles away for a bigger bus. That has never been full. But I don't know how many are getting on. Only my son and 2 others finished year 11. I have spoken to the school. They have said this has been a problem for 3 years. Only really for 2 villages. Ours and the one even closer to the border.
This border thing is daft as one lad lives just over the border. When he was approaching year 7 his mum asked ankut the bus. She knew that because they lived over the border they had to pay for transport. (A neighbour a few hundred metres away over the border gets free transport) anyway. The bus passes her door, there's a pull over place and she asked if her son could get on there. She was told they couldn't stop until the bus crossed the border. There's an awkward bend she didn't want her son walking round. She decided in the end to just drive her son to school. I think schools and borders need considering. Must admit though. I do think as we pay tax to our local council that is where our children should be schooled. I'm sure it's not possible everywhere but is here.
Thanks for replies anyway. Plenty more people in the same boat. Thankfully we are moving end of October. Only 1 mile closer to the school. But 5 school buses pass through the village. So there has to be a seat on one of them. I can't re apply till after we move.

Only 3 of them finished year 11? must be a tiny school!

YANBU, especially if there is space on the bus. Raise merry hell with your local Councillor as this is a political/policy decision.

Total sympathy with OP. We do have a very limited public bus service thank goodness. Season ticket allowing travel on all buses in 3 adjoining counties costs approximately 40% of what we would have been charged for school bus to 6th form of school my DS already attended. Councils have no statutory duty other than free transport to geographical nearest school if you live more than 3 miles away. However, hard not to conclude that they are overcharging 16-18s to cross-subsidise elsewhere.

In our area, one consequence is a rush to pass driving tests and worrying number of cars full of teenagers on the roads.

We've still not had an answer as to why so many people think 16+ year olds should be provided with transport to school by the state.

What if there's only enough room on the school bus for up to year 11?

Even if there's enough room on this particular school bus for 6th formers, what about the other buses going to the same school? If some of those are too full for year 12+13 students would it then be fair that they couldn't use 'their' bus but OP's son could use 'his'?

If the 16y/o had chosen to do an apprenticeship at an engineering works 15 miles away would you expect the company or the state to get him there?

"It is compulsory for all kids to stay on at school or further education or training until 18."

It's not, not really. Trust me, I had one at home idling doing nothing! There is a law on paper, not a law with any teeth in reality.

It reads like OP has tonnes of alternative options, and will have barely a month of extra inconvenience (driving). Annoying change, but very temporary, so not a Big Deal.

£230/term is about £15/week. If OP does an extra 80 miles driving per week, that's maybe £15-£25 per week in petrol+wear&tear. £10/wk extra is not a huge amount of money to stomach for one month that OP expects. I'm surprised that OP only pays £15/week for the bus. Ours is similar distance & more expensive. Note that age 16+ no longer gets child fares (boohoo).

Also not all families can afford driving lessons or to run a car for their teenager. Learning to drive isn't cheap!

What about an Electric Bike, they are about the £230 cost you were going to pay anyway, and then he will have some freedom as well.

How is that any safer than cycling?

If the 16y/o had chosen to do an apprenticeship at an engineering works 15 miles away would you expect the company or the state to get him there?

Amen to that. This lad is being mollycoddled to an absurd degree.

muunmy electric bikes are considerably more than 200 quid.

I tnink some of you have a very warped idea of what mollycoddled is. I feel very sorry for your kids.

£230 is a lot but it is your choice to send them there.
My dc went by train to school, being september babies they turned 16 at the beginning of year 11 and had to start paying adult prices on the train, however once they were in 6th form they were entitled to a third off discount . We chose to send them there, but it was unfair not to allow the discount in yr 11, but allow discounts in 6th form [annoyed]

It sounds like an utter pain op. It's not the distance that's the problem it's the lack of public transport because it's not economically viable for a private companies and the inability of the state to fill that gap.

I don't have the answer. Sorry. It's the one of the main reasons why when DH starts to wax lyrical about the joy of living in the middle of nowhere, I tell him he's welcome to go on his own.

Supermagic...Only 3 left the school that are on the bus mine get. There must be at at least 12 buses that wait outside school. Ours is only a small bus as it only really covers one village.
Yes I know I only have 2 months where we live. But the move could fall through. That's not the point though. I still think it's daft not to provide paid transport for the same catchment school. If he were going to work that would be different. Obviously I would not expect transport to work. He won't be driving to school when he's old enough as the cost of a car, tax, insurance etc is way more that the cost of me taking him to school. Plenty of time for driving when he has a job.

DS had an autumn birthday so fell thru the cracks & we had to pay adult fares, eek. If anyone has a kid on the train to get to school, I suggest see if you can buy a long-period season ticket before they turn 16, this was only way we could get some discount from adult rates. We only had to pay full rates for 3 months, at least.

Am I reading correctly that OP's son is not eligible for subsidised transport to any 6th form?

... OP could double check if any private mini bus services (to the school or nearby) might be able to add 1 person to their route. There is such a service to DC school, they pick up at people's homes so customise the route as required. Also ask around if anyone else drives other kids regularly & OP's son could be added to their carload for petrol money. I think OP said there were 5 other kids in same situation as her 6th form kid.

Join with other parents to hire a minibus

There is 1 other local girl that has been refused a place too. Yes we may be able to lift share, she also has a brother collected the same as my son.
Lljkk my son hasn't been offered any other subsided transport as there is no other transport. The only school transport operating in the area is to the catchment school. Which we can't use. As I said originally we chose this school as we are rural and it's the only school providing transport.

The local authority have to publish their post 16 policy including the provision of transport in may of each year before post 16 choices at each made

The information that your dc wouldn't get transport will have been readily available on the LAs/schools website before you made your choices

I wouldn't hold Out for a spare seat either any transport team worth their salt will have shrunk the vehicles to bring costs down and your only likely to get a spare seat if an eligible child joins in your area and the vehicle size needs to be increased

Yes nicperm I just assumed there would be a bus continued. I just looked up the journey for anyone else and it says leave our house at 7.45am walk for 20 mins to catch a bus nearer the village. Travel on that bus about a mile and a half. Get off. Wait hour and half for the next bus which would take him to school. Getting him there at 9.25am (registration at 8.55am) bonkers! 😂😂

No that was wrong it was leave home 7.15am arrive school 9.22am think he could almost walk it all in that time!