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.

Hmm, if the other school has no places for him and would write a letter confirming this, it would work in your favour.

YANBU - but I'm not sure how successful you will be. First, find out your (presumably county) council's policy on transport and check it has been applied correctly. Then lobby your councillor. Years ago, this transport may have been free. We live in a village and when my elder son went to sixth form (2009) transport for sixth formers was subsidised. So he was entitled to a subsidised place. When my second son went three years later, they had to pay the full cost, this being part of fund-raising to meet the gaps in council budgets (austerity). Significantly, this meant he was also not entitled to a place on the bus. It wasn't an issue for us, but I did notice it and thought it was strange, as it is usually expected that children capable of getting A-levels stay on to do them i.e. it's normal to attend sixth form. I would lobby your councillor anyway, as if no-one ever tells them the effects of their policies, they won't know what trouble it causes. Also, worth mentioning that it will go against any 'green' policies about discouraging lots of cars on the roads etc. Also, I think it's odd that you are being encouraged to take up a place at a school in another county ..... policies used to be the opposite.

Also, cycling on country roads in all weathers is not particularly safe, and it would be interesting to see if those who are suggesting your son does this would be prepared to do it themselves every school day without fail!

Baby Cham - irrespective of spaces at other schools locally there's no duty on the la to fund post 16 transport

Op apologies if you've answered this are you able to transport your dc?

If the journey is horrific perhaps a lift to the next village for him to pick up a bus there?

I know of several people in 6th form from the village that get on the bus. They pay obviously. But we are 2.5 miles from centre of the village. I just assumed as all the other 6th formers get the bus then my son would too. He has friends just over a mile in the other direction getting the bus to the school. (different village, different bus) as well. it is literally just 2 villages (well actually half our village plus another) that the council have decided to no longer transport. They are actually still closer to the school over the border but not been refused transport. So I don't know where the cut off point.

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?

That's a stupid comment, 16 year olds are limited with the apprenticeships that they can do precisely because they have to be able to get there. Who would take a job they couldn't get to?

I know others have said this but I wish people would realise that the school leaving age is 16 not 18. There is nothing to stop a 16 year old leaving school and doing nothing or working in a minimum wage job with no training element at all, I know many who have done just that, no one checks up

You need to see when the policy changed

To clear things up: school sixth form or college is NOT compulsory. The statutory school leaving age has NOT changed. It remains 16. For this reason the statutory entitlement to free school transport over a certain distance stops at 16.

What is compulsory is some sort of training up to 18 which can be alongside a job if the young person so chooses.

It sounds like there's no seats for you to purchase for ur ds it depends on the needs of the compulsory age children and also vehicle size if they have dropped the coach sizes to suit no post 16 your contribution of 230 per term will cover just under half of the annual cost (ish)

it would be interesting to see if those who are suggesting your son does this would be prepared to do it themselves every school day without fail!

I did from the age of 14 onwards. I still cycle to work now.

I'm with you on the cycling OP. No way would I want my ds cycling on a busy road day in day out. Far too dangerous. Mollycoddling or not, no way no how.

But at least you're moving in October, that puts a different slant on it.

OP can drive, and could even save bus fares for her other DC.
Or share lifts with another parent.
(Or find out if there's a minibus, not yet ruled out)
There is a public bus service.
OP might even be able to drop her son somewhere where he catches a single bus & thus avoid a long between-bus wait.

There are taxis if she's feeling mint.
OP is moving closer, too, fairly soon.

Cycling is probably crap but not impossible. I half wonder if there's a slightly longer but much safer cycling route that OP hasn't thought of -- there often is. DH refuses to take it, instead he rides 10 miles down the road with 50mph lorries, @whoever asked about "would you cycle" question.
The lad isn't far off the age he could ride a moped.

Lots of options, really.

Yes the move should help. Though it's only 1 mile along the road. So I can't see why it should make a difference. Same school, same bus. The school over the border is still nearer by 2 miles. But I know 6th formers up there get on the bus.

I work at a school where this has happened - many 6th formers couldn't get a place on the council run school buses as capacity was taken up by younger students. The school then organised a bus that covered several villages for 6th formers to pay to use. It would mean waiting until September but if there is a need from 6th formers maybe you could lobby the school to do this.

Why is it hard for some people to accept that there isn't a safe cycle route? One of my dc went to a school about 5 miles away and there is absolutely no route that I deem safe for a child to cycle on. In fact I worry for any cyclist I see on those roads, single carriageway, windy roads with dips, heavy lorries exceeding the speed limit, minor roads joining and no street lights. It just is not safe, there are even buses for children who live nearer than the normal limit for that reason. Maybe my area is unique but I doubt it, AFAIK the local authority take into account whether the route is safe as well as the distance. Post 16s have to pay for a bus pass but luckily there doesn't seem to be pressure on numbers.

How is a 16 year old supposed to get themselves 7 miles to school and back in winter in the dark afternoons when there is no public transport?

Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the parents. They should have thought about the logistics of this when deciding to bring up kids in the middle of nowhere!

Either you take him to school or he learns to cycle there.
Is there no one at his school he can lift-share with?

I'm glad some of you are with me on the cycling thing. They are unlit roads the whole journey apart from last few hundred yards. When my oldest 2 were 3and 5 they were practicing riding their bicycles along our road. We could see white van man coming along our single track road one day. The children stopped, the oldest stood up on the bank with his bicycle tucked against the verge. The youngest remained on his bicycle and I lifted him into the edge of the grass verge but had my feet on the edge of the road. The van went at such a terrific speed. Nearly touching my coat. If I'd moved a fraction he'd have hit my arm. From that day I have been very wary of bicycles on our roads. I have lived in London and there is a lot more traffic but it just feels safer, the speed round here on such narrow roads is really quite scary.
I'm not expecting my son to be collected for work or apprentice jobs like you all keep saying. Just to continue on the bus he's been travelling on to school for 5 years. If he were to be moving on to work then we would need to re think transport. If my son and the other girl living up the road get the bus and pay a combined fee of £460 a term it would pay the cost of the bus (I know another 6th former also uses the bus making it £690 a term)

Oh and yes the school do put a 6th form bus on for villages over the border from other schools out of catchment area. But as our village is covered by the bus it doesn't come here.

Mum - I can assure you that 230 per term will not cover the cost of the bus not even close

They should have thought about the logistics of this when deciding to bring up kids in the middle of nowhere!
I think you are being unduly harsh. When OP decided to settle where she is, obviously many years ago, this would not have been an issue. Provision was more generous, certainly in our area. It all tightened up after 2008. What surprised me, when sixth formers here finally had to pay the full cost, was that it heralded an end to them being entitled to a place on the bus. Instead, you were invited to apply for a 'surplus space', i.e. the same process as used by those students who, for whatever reason, chose to go to a school 'out of area'. Public transport has also got worse in recent years - even quite large villages can have atrociously infrequent / non-existent buses. We are supposed to be a civilised country.
OP think rainforestsloth's idea is a good one

A school bus (35 pupils) is about 50k a year on average. I've worked in school transport finance and policy across a number of la's

@couldn''t make
Perhaps they moved for a job? perhaps the primary school was also great as was secondary when they moved? And at the time transport was easier. Perhaps they should have had second sight?

Do you live in the country? do you know it's not just speeding traffic on narrow lanes as described by OP but also potholes and worn sides to the roads so cycles/scooters/bikers are in double jeopardy. And it takes rather longer for an ambulance to get there, too.

Going to be in the same position once DS ends Y11. He attends a special school and ideally needs to stay there until he is 19. Once Y11 ends though all transport assistance stops.. ..but will begin again if he requires it at 18 .

OP YANBU if there is space on the bus.

Can't believe people's naivety (or stupidity) on this thread expecting the lad to cycle on rural roads. OP my lad has transport (autistic) and I will have this worry in a couple of years time. I have also been told between 16-18 they have no obligation to transport him to his school if he does A levels but if he does them at college they will . Trouble is he is a genius that cannot cope with change among other things so not sure how that will work. None of mine will cycle ever as the roads from the village are 6 miles of dark roads surrounded by fields with over 50 spots of flowers along the route where people have died many of them cyclists. As with all rural roads they appear to be used as a warm up to racing at Siverstone! despite the 'please drive safely 'and 50 mile an hour signs. All I can suggest is lobby your MP it might work.

you do know the vast majorty of country roads are 60 (even if its not safe to do 60 people will still do 60 i wish all countries roads were set at a much safer speed and the roads that are safe to do can be sign posted to be 60)

There is a road near my house which is full of S shaped courners which is a 60 road and no way in hell is it safe to do 60 on it bar the last stright strech but I see every day people attempting to do 60 on it and its a bloody accident hot spot because people are idiots and dont use common sense see a speed limit = target speed