School bus times changed without warning

[MockneyReject]

For 2 years, the school bus has arrived at 08:00.
I see DS on, and then rush to work, for 08:15ish. I'm meant to start at 08:00, so spend the morning catching up (home care visits).

As of 2 weeks ago, the regular company have stopped trading. So, the Local Authority have issued a temporary contract. The new providers have been late, every day, both morning and afternoon. Parents received a text, usually once the bus was half an hour late. So, middle school children (9-13) are waiting around for between 30 and 60 minutes.
They used to arrive home at around 3:50. Lately, it has been 4:30 ish. Again, no communication.

Today, parents have received an update, in response to all the complaints. From now until possibly the end of this school year, the bus will pick up at 9ish and collect the children from school at 4.
So, they will arrive 45 minutes late for the school day, and will return home 45 minutes to an hour late.
Apparently, the new firm is struggling, due to broken down buses and lack of drivers. The buses that are turning up are quite random - old with no seatbelts.

I phoned the LA today, explaining that I am unwilling to leave my child home alone, every morning, to get himself to school.
More importantly, he won't be home before I leave for my evening shift, so will have to let himself in, cook his own dinner and put himself to bed, 2-3 times a week. I get home at about 8:30.
Usually, he comes with me, and has dinner with a friend, close to my work, if I'm doing a split shift.

Their response was that I have a choice.
Either, tell my employer that I'm simply not coming in to work (I already had to phone in at the last minute, this evening, as I was frantically looking out for the bus) which cost me £35 earnings. My manager is already annoyed with me.
OR advertise on SM for a stranger to take him and collect him, as I don't know any other parents.

They refused to allow me to apply for a Personal Travel Budget, to cover taxis.

They stated that seatbelts are preferable, but not a duty.

So, tomorrow, he will have to come to work with me, instead of going to school. He will likely have to come with me all next week, and sit in the car, while I do care visits - usually 30-60 minutes each.

AIBU to think they are failing to meet their obligation?
And to be worried sick, as my options are:
Give up work and be unable to pay the rent/bills/food.
Keep DS off school, risking court/fines.

Shocked that OP seems so accepting of this?
The email came at 3pm, today. Since then, I've sent 3 emails, made 4 phone calls, excluding those trying to cover my evening shift, and have started a thread on Mumsnet! I've waited for a callback from a manager, and have spent the rest of this evening Googling the LAs obligations, reading up on Personal Travel Budgets etc.
I haven't passively accepted this!

Try having a child with special needs, basically they tell you to give up work and then call you a drain on society when your employer finally gets fed up and you do.
Worst thing is we are not even allowed at 18 to leave our son home alone dispute the fact he can look after himself for 30 minutes.

Basically I totally sympathise, La don't give a fuck and they have absolutely no consequences.

I said I was shocked you had been so accepting of this because your main issue is with your son being left alone. I phoned the LA today, explaining that I am unwilling to leave my child home alone, every morning, to get himself to school. Surely the focus should be on the fact he's missing hours of his education.

The buses sound SHOCKING and I do see that. But your work schedule is really not their concern. At all. All kids from secondary school sort themselves around here, and I did so when I was that age too. He needs a key and to let himself out.
it does seem a long time to be alone alone after school but again, they aren’t there to assist with after school care? Your son would be alone regardless from the sounds of it l, which sounds lonely, but isn’t really made much worse by the bus. Prepare a cold tea or something he can microwave

ultimately, these are your concerns. If you want your DC to have more supervision, then you need to organise it or maybe your work isn’t compatible with the care you want your child to receive

Can't you drive him in before work and he just wait outside school for a bit?

I think the school are not helping. I am sure that the school could open at 8 for the remaining weeks of the term, for example.

They cannot. They are not insured to be responsible for children in the premises before a certain time. And an hour before school starts is not going to be within those limits.

I can see it being an issue for a 9 year old but a 12 year old with no disabilities or nonNT traits should be able to get on a school bus themselves. It's the 45 minutes late I'd be annoyed with.

If its second run could you drop him to village that has further run service?

First not further

Can you drop off in the morning at the other village stop and still make work in time (or not too late)?

I appreciate it doesn’t help the afternoon

The other option is you give him a key and he locks up then let's himself back in. He may not like it but you have to work.

Im not asking for more supervision; I'm asking that he continue to get to school in time, and to leave school on time.
I'm not asking for after school care. I have care in place for him after school, but if he is still at school, waiting for a late bus, I can't get him there, can I?
My work was compatible with the bus times that were in place when I registered him at the school.
Work hasn't changed - the buses have.
He has to be left, more than either of us are comfortable with. I put arrangements in place to minimise this. The altered bus times have scuppered those arrangements.

Could you drop him off in the other village where they will be picking up from?

At 12 I was in middle school and had to walk to the coach, lock the front door etc and the same when I returned home at 3.45 and wait for my mom to get back and it was fine. Maybe you can use this as an opportunity if there is no other way?

The buses aren't public. His entitlement is from his home to his school.
School is in the opposite direction to work.

I sympathise op it’s a pain having a job that doesn’t fit in around your kids. If I were you I’d carry on but at the same time be looking out for another job that has more suitable hours. Your son is 12 and is old enough to get on a bus on his own but I do agree leaving him til 8.30pm alone sounds a bit lonely to be honest. You should be able to eat together with you child. The school bus situation is certainly not helping and maybe they will sort something out for next academic year but I really don’t think your job sounds like it is fitting in with him anyway. It would stress me out being late for my job every day and most employers wouldn’t accept it. I know easier said than done if there aren’t many jobs about but keep looking something will turn up.

This is such a terrible situation that I think I would be asking for help from other families at the school. Perhaps there is someone you could drop your DS to before you go to work and they could help. Also worth finding out if there are any TA's or teachers who would be willing to help at least until the end of term, even if for a small fee.

Could you start work earlier - 7:30am like your colleagues do. That way work will be happy and you won’t have to spend your morning playing catch up so can in theory finish 45 mins earlier. Leave your DS to get onto the bus by himself.

This should give you a bit longer between shifts which you can use to go and pick up your DS from school, have a super quick dinner and go out to work.

What’s the plan for the school holidays?

How rural is the school? Can you drop DS a mile away from the school and have him walk the last bit? Does he know some more local class mates who he could walk with?

Alternatively, I don't think a 30 minute wait outside school for it to open will damage him, I think in your shoes I'd probably be doing that.

My job did fit around my kid - until they withdrew the bus service!
Of course, being late every day stresses me out. Fortunately, most of my clients are regulars and know I'll arrive 15 minutes later than their rota says.
Flexible jobs that ask for few or no qualifications and provide a car are few and far between, out here in the middle of nowhere! I'm lucky to have found this one.

Hassle the council and your local MP. Our local bus company withdrew several services with a few weeks notice after the start of the school year, and in the end the council found money to pay other companies to plug some of the gaps, because otherwise there were kids who couldn't get to school (and adults to work).

Does your work take you near any of the other school bus routes? If so, maybe in the mornings, at least, he could go with you and join a school bus that gets there on time. Although the entitlement is home to school, the school may be quite happy to allow him on another route if there is space.

"Travel is sneaked on the payslips"

Are they paying you for the travel between visits? They should be. Check that they are actually paying you minimum wage for the hours you work, including travel.

I think this is the answer, for now.
Holidays are a mishmash of friends from his old school.(reciprocal, but waning, due to us moving away), the 79 year old neighbour, him sitting in the car, paid babysitters and a whole load of guilt.
Term time used to be the easy bit.
If I start at 7:30, I have to (officially) finish at 2, because of employment law, around breaks. In practice, travel time puts me out until about 3, so I'm home in time to throw a wash on and do some dinner before the bus drops DS off at 3:50ish. Then we catch up on the car, and I dump him again, for a couple of hours.
That's only a few nights a week, though. Most evenings, we argue over homework, or rush to pre paid swimming/guitar lessons (which he will now miss) then go to bed. Meals and bed are now pushed back by an hour, and he'll miss the fun stuff.

Can you get some parents to collectively write a letter to your MP & your Councillors. If all the dc on the bus are missing 45 minutes a day of school, that will add up to over half a day of learning lost a week. If you were deliberately sending them late every day, you would have the attendance officer on your case.

My concern would be a SS referral, due to neglect. A lone, abandoned child would be fairly visible. I'd give it 2 days before it became the talk of the village FB page!