Agenda item

To present the report of the Head of Learning.

The report of the Head of Learning incorporating a revised School Transport Policy was presented for the Committee’s consideration and scrutiny.

The Leader reported that the revised School Transport Policy has been the subject of a Members’ Briefing Session and has also been scrutinised by the Finance Scrutiny Panel which gave careful consideration to its financial impact. The reformed policy clearly sets out the Authority’s arrangements and eligibility criteria for providing transport for the Isle of Anglesey County Council’s school and college pupils.

The Head of Learning highlighted that the revised Policy adheres closely to the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008 and the Learner Travel: Statutory Provision and Operational Guidance 2014 and it is sufficiently detailed to enable the Authority to respond to situations and circumstances with clarity and consistency. The Officer said that there were aspects of school transport arrangements which needed to be reviewed clarified, and amended; that has happened during the year with a resulting positive impact on the school transport budget.

In the subsequent Committee discussion of the report, the following issues were raised –

•           Can assurances be given that transport to school will be provided on routes which may be considered hazardous even if those routes are below the statutory qualifying distance?

•           Whether the policy treatment of faith schools is consistent with the policy approach overall given that it is stated at section 3.2 of the policy that the Authority will consider on a discretionary basis, applications for transport to the nearest suitable Faith School if it is the parental/carer’s choice and that this will apply even if the school is not their nearest suitable school but is within the Local Authority area.

•           What financial effects are there to the policy?

•           It was noted that no transport will be provided for children aged 3 or 4 attending nursery school or nursery classed. However, transport will be provided for eligible children from the commencement of the school year in which the child attains the age of 5 and starts full-time education meaning that it is possible that a 4 year old child who has his/her 5th birthday later in the school year could be eligible for transport. Have the risks of transporting a child as young as 4 by bus unsupervised been assessed?

•           It was noted that the Authority will not provide transport to or from out of school clubs (i.e. breakfast clubs, after school clubs or extra-curricular activities that fall outside the school curriculum). How can this approach be reconciled to the needs of children whose parents do not have their own transport who live in areas where access to public transport might be limited and who have need for breakfast clubs; how may the Education Authority address this need in the context of the Policy?

•           How successful is the Authority in collecting and administering payments for school transport?

Clarifications/explanations were provided by Officers and Portfolio Members as follows –

•           That section 2.10 of the Policy outlines the arrangements with regard to hazardous routes and confirms that for learners who live below the statutory qualifying distance shown in section 2.2 of the policy, the Authority will provide transport to school if the route has been assessed as hazardous by the appropriate Isle of Anglesey County Council Officer following the guidance provided in the Learner Travel: Statutory Provision and Operational Guidance June, 2014.

•           That with regard to providing transport to Faith schools, the Authority will consider providing transport to the nearest suitable faith school if that is the parental choice and will also consider applications if the school is not the nearest suitable school provided the school is within the Local Authority area; the Authority will not provide transport to a faith school outside the Local Authority area if there is a school of the same faith within the Local Authority area.

•           That whilst the Policy will not be fully implemented until September, 2019 its effects on the financial situation have already been felt in the previous few months in reduced taxi journeys. The policy manages expectations for school transport by setting out clear guidance for when transport to school will be provided. It is anticipated that full implementation of the policy will over time have a positive impact on current budgetary pressures.

•           That with regard to transporting nursery age children by bus, the Authority has strict regard to the Welsh Government guidelines in all aspects of the school transport it provides.

•           That with regard to attendance at breakfast clubs, it may be possible to look at the timing of school transport so that those pupils who need to, can access transport to attend breakfast clubs.

•           That although collecting payment for school transport where that is due can sometimes be a challenge, the working partnership that has developed between the Learning Service, the Highways Service and the Resources Service over the past year as they have worked collaboratively to address school transport issues is a basis for dealing more effectively with payment and other school transport matters.

Having considered all the information presented as well as the clarifications provided by the Officers/Portfolio Members on the points raised, it was resolved that the Corporate Scrutiny Committee –

•           Recommends adoption of the revised School Transport Policy by the Executive.

•           Recommends that where practicable, consideration be given to the timing of school transport to ensure that pupils who need to can access transport to attend breakfast clubs.

•           Notes the comments of the Finance Scrutiny Panel.

NO ADDITIONAL ACTION WAS PROPOSED