To complain to 6th form about a timetable change?

[AGurneyAunt]

DS is in Yr13 at the "local" 6th form to do A levels (it's part of the closest secondary school to us but is still 7 miles away). He gets the school bus there and back every day because I work and also have a younger child with disabilities who isn't in school.

He went back today for the first time since before Christmas (Wales). At the start of this term, one of his subject teachers was replaced great timing so today was the first time he met the new teacher. Said teacher has told the class that he is moving their Wednesday morning lesson to 7th period for the rest of their time at the school. This means it will finish at 4, which is 40 minutes after the school bus leaves.

There used to be late buses for those doing extra curricular activities/clubs, which students who had 7th period lessons (usually only those doing 4 A levels or extra classes, or of course detention 🙄) could also use. But they don't run any more, because all clubs are off due to covid.

There also used to be a public bus that served our village and passed the school at 4.15. But the service has been temporarily suspended, because covid.

So. DS now can't get home after the lesson. I can't pick him up because Wednesday is one of the two days a week I pay for childcare for my younger disabled child so I can work. This is non negotiable. DS is pissed off because he feels he needs to attend all the lessons, due to having missed so much and having very poor online lesson provision for the last year (it has been shocking but that's another thread altogether!).

AIBU to complain?

(And yes, I will probably end up paying for a bloody taxi, but that's a pita and cost that I don't need. This is Buttfuck Nowheresville, taxis are £££, there isn't even a proper taxi firm here and it's not as easy as just calling a cab when you need one).

No of course I’d never blame a teenager for it, I suppose as an adult I’m blaming the other adults for sort of putting them in that position, I know it’s really hard to predict where you are going to live and what life is going to look like but I’ve worked with families who for a fact live in (admittedly lovely!) sprawling, very rural homes because parents can wfh or don’t need to work at all and want the lifestyle, and dc get the lovely benefit of being free range little kids that then turn into young adults who very much need to be able to get to college, uni interviews, work experience, extra curriculars etc and it’s a shock that they need ferrying about everywhere!
But Like I said, the lesson would be changed if I had anything to do it with, it would work around school bus no questions asked

I didn't 'put him in that position'

There used to be a public bus that ran hourly between two local towns and served our village. DS used it a lot for school and at weekends. He used it to go to school, and he used it at the weekends to go the other way to the train station and get the train to our nearest city for various things.

But the bus was used by significant numbers of tourists, more than by locals (this is a very touristy area in normal times, even out of season). It stopped running last April, then started again from July, then stopped again when the second lockdown happened last November and as yet hasn't restarted. I'm told it may run again from May depending on restrictions and likely tourist numbers.

I do apologise for not predicting that a bus service that has run for over 50 years (I know this because I've seen pictures of it from the 60s, with the same service number it has now, on local FB groups) would be suspended due to a global pandemic. Should I have known the pandemic was coming too?

Can you talk to your employer? It will only be for a few weeks as there’s the Easter holidays, and then short summer term and he will be doing exams

call school and explain the issue. your dc will not be the only one affected.

bike/scooter might be s good idea in the long term for your dc to be more independent.

I think the school is behaving shockingly. At my school we are expected to put lessons online, even now we are back f2f, because, well, COVID, PEOPLE ISOLATING. I think you should put pressure on them. The teacher just has to aim his laptop at himself and press record. It's really not difficult...that's what we are doing for our poor y13's who had to isolate one day after bloody returning. As your son is a young carer, they should be more flexible. I think you could be forgiven for going straight to the head for this. Today. Your son is being severely disadvantaged through no fault of his own.

Colleges/sixth forms regularly have lessons that run until around 4:30, you said yourself that you know the timetable runs until after 3:30, so surely you knew he always had the possibility of a lesson being scheduled at this time.

If you don’t want him to cycle why not book a taxi, 7 miles won’t be expensive.

@SimonJT it could be very expensive in a rural area! Why can't the teacher just record the lesson? Not difficult. Free. Helpful.

I feel your frustration @AGurneyAunt. We live rurally as well, and if DD did any after school activities I had to pick her up because once the school bus left that was it.

I suspect the goady and unhelpful comments come from people who aren't in your position and who simply don't understand the difficulties.

I hope the driving lessons can be scheduled to suit.

@redcandlelight I did call the school. They basically couldn't have cared less!

I don't know what their plan is for anyone self isolating, that's a good point. I assume we will find out if it happens!

Hilariously on the subject of bikes - there have been plans for well over a decade to create a safe cycle path between the two local towns that the bus route used to serve. It's an identified need locally due to how dangerous the road is for cyclists. However multiple villages along the route have joined together and endlessly petitioned to prevent it because (and I wish I was joking but this is absolutely the truth) their NIMBY multiple-car-owning head-in-their-arse residents think a cycle track will encourage drug dealers and paedophiles to come to the area from nearby towns

@starbrightstarlight8888

Surely he can cycle with proper lights etc regardless of it being on country roads? It's only 7 miles once a week and he's virtually an adult.

Yeah he probably could if he had a death wish.

@AGurneyAunt

That's a shitty response from the school.

Is there anyone else at the school you could talk to?

Filing that, I guess you'll just have to put the unwilling child with autism in the car and have a 'quick tea' once a week. Pain in the arse!

You need to breathe here. Stop and quantify the issue.
He's Y13.
They finish around June.
There are two weeks off very soon for Easter.
And there will be another week off for half term.
So my calculation is that this problem is likely to occur about 14-16 times. And they may well have the last week or so off timetable for revision. And then he's done with sixth form.
In your shoes I'd "find" money for a taxi.
Seven miles times 16 in a taxi-a couple or three hundred quid, something like that? Maybe more, I don't know the route.

Whereas you are considering driving lessons, delayed driving test due to Covid, possibility of failing, expense of a car, exhorbitant insurance, inherent risk of being a very young driver and and and. And none of that will be done in time for him to make that journey which is happening from now.

What are you thinking? I just don't get it.

....continuing last post.
And if you don't have that money, phone the council, put your council tax on hold for a few months, tell them why, and promise to pay it back a couple of quid per month over the subsequent year or so. They cannot pursue you for that as you've made a promise to pay them, just later than usual.

However multiple villages along the route have joined together and endlessly petitioned to prevent it because (and I wish I was joking but this is absolutely the truth) their NIMBY multiple-car-owning head-in-their-arse residents think a cycle track will encourage drug dealers and paedophiles to come to the area from nearby towns

Say what??

I can see why a cycle route might not be optimal on those roads (and I'm a cyclist) but encouraging drug deals & paedophiles? seriously

I'm always boggled on threads like this by people who have never lived rurally assuming that you can just book a taxi/ catch a different bus/ scrounge a lift from a friend in the area. It doesn't work like that, esp when, as OP has explained, the pandemic has cut public transport to the minimum. You do expect, when you live more-or-less rurally, to do a lot of ferrying, but it isn't always possible. And schools should be alert to that.

OP, have you considered approaching a helpful local councillor or your MP? Also, local newspapers are usually desperate for a story. If the school refuses to play ball, it might not hurt to turn the heat up a little.

The cycle route wouldn't even have been on the road, it wasn't a cycle lane, it was a whole separate cycle track that would have formed part of a very popular walking route!

MrMucker, you've missed the point: the driving lesson would get the lad home. It's very common round here. Get in instructor's car after school, have lesson on trip home.

I see "why can't he cycle" is going to become the new "cancel the cheque".

Not so much "why can't he cycle" as "why can't people read the thread..."

I'm most surprised the school seem to have no Plan B for students who are unable to attend lessons in person at this moment in time. So it's what? - physically be present in lessons or get no education? It sounds a shit school!

Not RTFT.
Can't she record the lesson so he can watch it later at home?
DS1 in year 13 is still only in two days a week here, most of his A levels will have been done remotely over the two years.
It's shit though.

Is there anyone in the class he could get a lift from to somewhere else with a bus? Or are there just no buses to your village?

Nope, no online content, students are all expected to be in lessons now.

Yep, it's a shit school. It used to be a lot better but the new head a couple of years ago came up from London and clearly understands nothing about rural communities, there have been other decisions made previously that I've thought wtf about. None of them have affected DS though and so I've never bothered to mention anything as DS is leaving soon anyway!

I can't believe the replies you have had on this thread OP.

FWIW if the school did this I would be in exactly the same situation as you, 8 mile journey, scant public transport, lone parent with a job.

I'm surprised the school haven't considered the implications of a late timetable and made provision.

@SimonJT there used to be a bus option for late lessons so not a problem

Are any of his classmates driving yet? They might be happy to run him home for the cost of fuel and a bit more for their trouble.

You called the school? Was it receptionist you spoke to? Might you get any more help if you spoke to HoY?

It the driving lesson thing doesn’t work then I think a taxi until restrictions lift more & then wait in a cafe for you. If it’s once a week there can’t be many more sessions. It’s nearly end of term, then I expect they still finish at the start of June even though no exams?