School transport issue

[MrsS01]

My friends DD is due to start next week at a new school. Due to circumstances she isn't starting at the nearest school, ie, her mum is a lone parent and uses a childminder near her work. The childminder also looks after my friends other pre-school child. The plan was the DD would be able to get the school bus from the new school to the childminder after school and stay there until her mum could collect her and was initially told by the school this should be fine.

However, the transport dept are now saying they won't provide free transport as it isn't the local school for her. My friend is contesting it as its impossible for her to collect her from school as she has to work (lone parent) and therefore has to use a child minder and it would be impossible to expect her DD to walk home from the new school or even her local school and stay home alone for 2 hours before her mum gets home. My friend can't afford to pay for a place on the bus or a taxi every day (she is a lone parent, albeit on an okay wage)

Has anyone got any ideas who she can appeal to - the transport dept are just saying tough basically and you'll have to give up work then!

She won't get far with an appeal! They are very strict as it is with transport

Snd really, she is using an argument ( her place of work ) which any one if us could also try to use.

I'm surprised she ever thought that transport would be paid for when she's not going to her local school. Can the childminder walk To the school to get her DD? If not, she'll have to pay for a bus or taxi.

Or else find a new childminder near her local school.

There has been a tightening up on school transport anyway with the austerity measures.
I really think that without it being the nearest school this would go nowhere.
It is a hard juggling act with work and school so I hope she finds a solution - like Agent says a childminder closer to school or after school club if there is one.

thanks, that's the solution she's come to

The law is that they have to provide free transport if the allocated school is over 2 miles walking distance away from home (3 miles if the child is over 8) UNLESS there is a nearer school available. If the mother had applied to her nearest school and been allocated a place at this school they would have had to provide transport assuming it is the required distance from home. However, it sounds like she applied for a place at this school in preference to her local school. That being the case the LA is not required to provide transport.

She is entitled to appeal against the decision and the transport department should be able to tell her how to go about that, but I'm afraid I think an appeal will come up with the same answer.

So the school is neither near her home or the cm ? How far would it be for cm to do the pick up ?