Change to free transport would 'devastate' schools

Hundreds of pupils would no longer be eligible for free bus travel if the plan goes ahead

Planned changes to free school buses could bankrupt an academy trust and have a "devastating impact" on three of its schools if pupils chose to go elsewhere, a council meeting has been told.

Central Bedfordshire Council is considering a proposal that children would only be eligible for help with travel if they attend their nearest school.

The children's services overview and scrutiny committee heard the change would affect more than 300 pupils currently receiving free transport to three schools and "threaten the viability" of Pyramid Schools Trust (PST).

Victor Wan, the council's head of school organisation and capital planning, said it realised opting for the nearest school "impacts some areas more than others" and it would consider exceptions.

'Harm would be immense'

The council previously heard there were not enough places at the nearest school to Arnold Academy

Chief executive officer of PST, Steve Kelly, said it estimated "well over" 300 pupils at Harlington Upper School, Arnold Academy in Barton-le-Clay and Parkfields Middle School in Toddington would be affected.

"If those pupils attended their nearest school, instead of their current catchment school, it would result in lost revenue of well over £2m to the PST and that would have a devastating impact on those schools," he told the meeting.

"The harm would be immense and would bring into question the viability of those schools.

"It could effectively bankrupt the PST."

Local authorities are required to publish a home-to-school transport policy by 19 September each year, to enable parents and carers to take it into account when applying for schools.

The proposal to move the requirement to nearest school, rather than catchment, would include a review of any potential negative impact and all business cases for exceptions, the meeting heard.

'Uncertainty for families'

Mr Kelly asked whether the benefits of the policy change outweighed the cost and harm it would cause.

"The most important aspect is the effect on pupils' educational outcomes and their wellbeing," he said.

"The policy would effectively redraw the boundaries for school catchment areas and undo decades of collaboration between schools, while creating uncertainty for families."

A school governor had previously told the council parents would end up forking out £1,000 a year on getting their child to school.

Mr Wan said it had been working with PST on some of the proposals as part of its consultation, which received 578 comments.

"There are quite a few responses where residents and stakeholders haven't agreed to the proposals, and officers have attempted to address those individually in the tables put forward," he added.

The committee agreed four proposals could be considered for approval by the executive, but more detailed work was needed.