School Buses
The removal of subsidised travel
The County Council has decided to end subsidised travel to schools such as St Peter's. For pupils already at the school, and who receive free passes, their travel arrangements will not change for the entire time they are at St Peter's. Families which receive a certain level of benefits will continue to be entitled to free travel, from September 2012, even for their first child at the school.
Removing the subsidy is a political decision and parents who want to make their feelings and thoughts known about it need to contact their elected representative on the county council.
It is not only St Peter's which is affected. The grammar schools will also have their subsidised travel arrangements removed over the next seven years. The present national government trumpets the importance of 'choice' in education, but the removal of this subsidy effectively limits the choice of many families in Gloucestershire.
Moreover, the the county council may not in the end save as much money as they think: this decision will take funds away from the local businesses which run the buses, so that the future employment of drivers and mechanics may be in doubt, reducing the choices young people have for jobs in Gloucestershire; traffic congestion will increase as parents use their cars increasingly to take their children to school, which will cost the county money in delays and in repairs to already worn and damaged roads; schools throughout the county will have to undertake degrees of re-organisation to accommodate fluctuating and somewhat unpredictable numbers of pupils, which will inevitably mean more expense and bureaucracy.
St Peter's will never compromise its standards and Christian values. We must continue to provide an education which is worth the money parents and families spend on travel. Already, we have families in the Forest of Dean and elsewhere who pay a considerable amount of money to get their children to St Peter's each week. We must justify their faith in us by continuing to provide an education which is as good as any education which money can buy. St Peter's, remember, has been named an 'outstanding' school in three consecutive OfSTED inspections.
What can St Peter's do?
We cannot subsidise travel to maintain the status quo: we simply do not have the funding.
We can negotiate the best deals with the bus companies within a limited remit: we can work on providing cheaper travel for younger brothers and sisters of pupils already at the school and we can work on arrangements which would allow pupils to use their pass for travel at the weekends. We can look at working with other schools to provide the most economical school services possible.
Of course, we are determined to help our families as much as possible. Therefore, from September 2012, we will open the school from 8 am to 6 pm with study and recreational areas supervised before and after lesson times. Use of this time will be optional. We are hoping that this provision will help parents who can use their own transport to bring their children to the school. We encourage parents to car-share as much as possible and will look into ways to make this easy.
The future of St Peter's must not be threatened by short-term and short-sighted economic expediency.
If you have a query regarding bus passes or bus routes, please contact Shire Hall or the bus company.
Useful contacts
School Bus Coordinator – Liane Ryder 01452 509208
School Admissions Team 01452 425387
School Travel
Information – online
Colefordian (Willetts) Ltd– 01452 810080
Bennetts Coaches – 01452 527809
Eagle Line Travel – 01242 820535
Gloucester Limos & Minibuses – School Admissions Team 01452
425372
Marchants Coaches – 01242 257714
Stagecoach in the Cotswolds – 01453 755563