Safeguarding

[sherrardk]

For the first time ever the year 7 kids from the village are going to have to catch the public bus to secondary school. They will then be dropped off and have to walk to the school on the outskirts of another village (it's about nine miles away). At the end of the day they will walk back to the bus stop and catch the bus home. In winter they will obviously be doing this when it is still quite dark/getting dark. These kids are not street smart in any way shape or form. A lot of parents, me included, are not happy about them doing this. We have a solution in the form of a chaperone (a kid who will be in year 11, will be a prefect and knows most of the kids involved). This chaperone will need to have his bus fare paid for (as he has a free seat on the school bus) and I don't think it's fair to ask the parents to fund this as they are already having to pay for the year 7's to get to school (this used to be free). Does anyone think I can use the 'safeguarding' card? The head of the secondary school has previously stated that he wil help, blah, blah, blah but now he is trying to wheedle out of it (it will be £140 a term). Sorry it's so long winded.

[Baldric]

Ah, ok, I've only used 2 or 3 times in 2½ yrs, didn't know that!

[Baldric]

^^^^used mine ^^

[THECORBYLOON]

If your son has a free seat do others of his age? If there is a concern about the younger ones, why could they not use those free seats and the older ones use the normal bus?

[sherrardk]

Since I posted this I have started exploring School Transport Plans - I don't know enough yet but there might be something in there that will help. I expect I sound like I am wrapping my son in cotton wool but they are very in-streetwise.

[Retrochic]

If you live in the sticks I presume you have a car? Why not just drive them to school or try and organize a club among parents. I do this for Duke of Edinburgh Award, which is after school, with other parents of Day Boys and it works well. I would not be happy with the situation as it is,even being chaperoned by a 15 year old. However, I do have to add that its entirely your choice to send them to a school that is not the nearest to your home, so you have to be prepared to put your self out to make sure your children are safe while getting to and from that school.

[sherrardk]

I am sending my son to his catchment school, the one where he and his siblings are guaranteed a place, the school which his primary school feeds. If I sent him to the nearest school with a free place I would be entering a lucky dip - I could end up with them in four different schools. I do have a car but car sharing would be a nightmare and I have children who need to get to the primary school too.

[Retrochic]

I would never even consider putting a year 7 child on public transport to school unless the bus dropped off at the school -walking towards the outskirts of a village on there own is very unsafe even in a group. I would drive them to school even if it meant they had to arrive a bit early. I honestly can't see your problem if you have your own transport just take them yourselves until they get a bit older.

[ummmm]

You wouldn't put an 11/12 year old on a bus?

[sherrardk]

I can't be in two places at once - I need to get the younger ones to school too.

[bhg481]

I'm sorry, but if I'd raised a child to the age of 11 without training it how to travel on a bus I'd consider myself a failure. Your job , as a parent, is to train your children how to live in this world.

[ummmm]

I agree bhg.

[Mosaic]

Last two posts - all depends on context. In some places and with a robust child it would be fine, in others and with a vulnerable child it would be a terrifying daily ordeal.

[Retrochic]

sherradk That is why I suggested that perhaps you may have to take your older children to school a bit early.

[Retrochic]

'Training your children'? What a ridiculous comment. Tell that to the parents of a fourteen year old killed while waiting for a school bus by a driver drunk from the previous night -or the 13 year old killed when a driver ploughed into him and his friends walking back for the park. No you should not wrap your children in cotton wool but I think expecting 12 year olds to walk down a country road to school in the winter months a bit too far. We are not talking about children getting the bus from A to B but from A to B then walking along roads to get to the school 'on the outskirts of a bvillage'. The Parent should take control of getting her children to school safely not moan about having to pay extra bus fares and expecting other parents to chip in.

[sherrardk]

Retrochic, as you do not know the full background (which I shan't bore you with) I shall treat your remarks with the disdain that they deserve. I am not moaning about paying or expecting other parents to chip in - I am resigned to paying the bus fare and the other parents are very interested in the idea of a chaperone. We are just exploring all avenues to make our kids as safe as possible in the most practicable way.

To everyone else, they are incredibly un-streetwise - there's not one of them that has caught a bus on their own but that's probably due to our location. It's very different here to living in a city or big town.

[B00]

To be honest, I can't imagine there's many 11 year olds who have traveled on a bus on their own, I know I wouldn't allow mine to at that age.

[sherrardk]

There's going to be about 14 of them catching the bus but they are 'young' in their ways, it's just how it is here (and I quite like it that way).

[B00]

I agree Sherr, refreshing to have kids be kids isn't it?

Will all 14 be able to get on the same bus at once? Not in danger of it already being filled with commuters going to work at that time?

[Zacs-Master]

14 of them. Then that's a £10er each per year. Surely that's the solution.

[sherrardk]

The bus goes from here to somewhere else that is equally sleepy. The bus company have already re-routed the bus into the village (so that the kids don't have to stand on the busy road at the top of the village) and have reduced their term rate. I could ask the parents for £10 per term each but some are going to struggle to find the £140 each term anyway. I'm just trying to find a practical solution that everyone is happy with, that's achievable and sustainable and keeps our kids safe and their parents happy. I have emailed the bus company today to ask if it's possible to re-route the bus slightly so they can be dropped-off and picked-up at the school.

We all knew the 'free' bus allocation was changing but a lot of people have only become interested in the problem now that it is imminent and apart from my son, this is their first child going to 'big' school.