Readers may remember the changes to the School Transport Policy approved under Delegated Decision by Cllr Dawn Cousins earlier in the year.
The new policy means that post-16 year old pupils no longer receive free transport to and from school or college, but instead, are offered subsidised term passes.
One On The Wight reader got in touch earlier this week concerned about the changes to school transport.
She told us, “As far as I could see council policy is to provide post 16 transport at a discounted rate. This has always been on the contract bus (where there was one) but my sixth-form daughter has been told by the IWC that she can no longer use the contracted school bus.
“I bought the pass and the council have had my £50 since August. Now they decide the sixth-formers must use Southern Vectis scheduled services.”
Disruption under-estimated by council, says parent
This is where the problem arises for the daughter of our reader who lives in Bembridge but studies at sixth-form college in Sandown.
Our reader believes the disruption of post-16 pupils having to travel on Southern Vectis buses has been under-estimated by the council.
She provides this example of the disruption:
Take the simple journey from Bembridge to the Fairway, in Sandown.
Scheduled buses at 07.10 am or 08.10 am, one impossibly early, one makes the student late.
Sandown Bay Academy policy requires the upper school students to register at 8.35 every day, and regular late attendance to the school has serious consequences, so the student has no choice but to take the early bus and wait.
The scheduled bus home is the same in reverse – hourly, and adding more time travelling which could be spent more usefully studying.
Arrive before teachers, or arrive late
Based on the information above, we can see that it leaves pupils with the choice of leaving the house before 7am to arrive on site before the teaching staff, or arrive on the school site late each day.
Our reader was interested to know whether any other families have experienced the same problem.
She finished by saying, “Sixth form is an important time and students should not be failed at the last by the local authority in provision of school transport. The previous system worked well.”
