Can someone point me in the direction of laws/guidlines relating to school buses, failure to turn up and attendance.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

The info I'm looking for is

1. Is there a legal time that children have to wait before going home? (there are rumours that yr7s can give up and go home if bus 15min late, yr8 30mins, yr9 60mins but can't find anything to back that up)

1. If the school contract bus fails to turn up parents are not obliged to provide alternative transport. True or false?

School is in a village which has been left with only 1 access road due to floods. Bus failed to turn up yesterday, dcs were driven to school (2hr round trip to access the only accessible route) but staff allowed them to go back home even tho school was open because we couldn't gurantee getting access later in the day (and school did close early on advice of environment agency in the end).

I haven't even woken them this morning (joint 'decision from most yr7 parents I have spoken to...)as the roads are still a mess around here, although have just heard on radio that bus route is now accessable...oops.

I think that if the bus doesn't turn up it will be marked as authorised absence, otherwise parents without cars would be stuffed. that thing about so many minutes per year group sounds a like a myth tbh but who knows...

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Sorry, I don't know what the rules are but your post made me want to rant...When I was in school, 30 years ago, the rule was that you had to stay until 10 past nine (10 minutes after registration) so the poor kids like me, at the first stop had to stand around for nearly an hour whilst the kids at the last stop had about 15 minutes to wait. And we didn't have a bus stop in our village so had to stand on a verge in whatever the weather had to throw at us

Dear BIL is in charge of the school buses/taxis etc for our secondary (a job he loathes!), we were talking about it the other day and he mentioned that the rule here is you give the bus 30 minutes, then go home.

There is no legal time you have to wait for the bus. There is nothing specific about this situation in the law but it would be surprising if any action was taken against parents for unauthorised absence in the situation you describe.

Well have just had a text to say the bus isn't running....it was due 90 mins earlier and lesson 1 is already over...

Guess I was fortunate in that I made the right decision to leave them in bed. I think I will brave the car tomorrow as roads are starting to reopen. Problem is dcs get antsy cos their friends won't bother to find alternative transport so.if there is no bus they will stay home...

Find a couple of parents with landrover 110 defender 12 seaters and get the whole lot in ...
and they will have a laugh en route

oh right talkinpeace yes, as you do

nah luv, but if the area has single lanes into a village, chances are somebody has a proper 4x4 (not an eveoouuque) - tractors will do ....

I guess my point is that in the 70's parents did whatever was needed to get their kids to school, even if it meant wrapping up and walking a couple of miles with them.
we are all too soft now.

probably you are right - what crossed my mind first at your suggestion was loads of precious mums (like me) squeaking about insurance, then the thought of a driver only choosing certain children to take....
funnily enough I saw one of these for sale last week - what a fab vehicle.

Tbh I can get there without a 4x4. But instead of a 10min car journey it is a 45-60min+ detour

Yesterday the police told parents that nobody should go into the village except in an emergency (because the road that is open isn't suitable for heavy traffic and was at risk of closing later in day).

Yesterday when the bus didn't turn up I did take the detour (before we heard police advice) and members of the slt told us they would be closing early and advised us to take them home again because of the risk of them being cut off before we could get back safely. Out of 800 pupils less than 200 were in attendance yesterday, many staff didn't make it in and pupils were sent to consolidated classes...therefore even those that were present had nothing like a normal learning experience.

Water has subsided loads today, and I expect the buses to run tomorrow. My dcs will attend tomorrow. If the bus doesn't collect them I will drive them in via the bus route if open. They are likely to be late tho as timing means I can't drop them off and younger dc at primary school at the same time.