Concern Over School Bus Escorts

February

17

10 comments

We are starting to get emails and letters from parents concerned that the County Council is withdrawing escorts on school buses.

Here’s a couple of extracts:

…. “I fully appreciate the immediate need to make cuts. That is the present and foreseeable financial climate. However, when it effects children?s safety, I am extremely concerned and must ask if the full impact and repercussions have been understood?
My four year old son takes the school bus to Our Lady of Ransom primary. I understand it was my choice to send my child to a faith school but it was a decision made with the provision of safe school transport in mind. Could you please confirm for me, who is responsible both legally and morally for my child whilst on that transport? The driver MUST be 100% focussed on driving and cannot in any circumstances be distracted by the children for whatever reason. Whether that be a seatbelt not done up, an incident or an ill child. What happens then?
I fear many parents cannot feel comfortable with this new arrangement and I fully agree with them. I ask again, who is responsible for these children on that journey?, Some as young as four? It cannot be the driver? School transport is a privilege, however I must question whether you are forcing parents to forgo it for the safety of their child and in turn this will lead to the cessation of the transport altogether?
.
These are tough times and tough decisions have to be made, but surely children?s safety has to be an exception?

…..I would like to add that as with all parents, safety is the main priority for our children. I do not feel that in any other situation it would be considered good practice to place a four year old on a bus without supervision. I wonder if I did do this, would any other Government body feel the need to become involved in relation to my child’s safety.

This could well become a big issue. It would be interesting to know how much money this is intended to save….

About the author, admin

  • So how is it that withdrawal of supervisors is even being discussed ? If I were to put a child into my car he/she would have to be suitably encased in a ‘safety’ seat or booster until the age of 12, but he/she is able to fidget untethered on a bus/coach ? Supervisors are a 100% necessity.A childs safety is paramount wouldnt you say ?

  • The removal of escorts from school buses (and the Council’s plan to cease free transport altogether from 2012) is going to have a huge impact on the amount of congestion on our already packed roads. My son uses the bus to travel to Our Lady of Ransom school (which we pay for so that we are not contributing to the traffic in Rayleigh) along with 150 other pupils. I’m sure the residents of Little Wheatley Chase and surrounding roads do not want this many extra cars on their road everyday. If I do choose to send my son on the bus without an escort, I do hope other road users don’t mind while I, and all the other mums, get on the bus to ensure his seatbelt is fastened before it leaves the bus stop…! Will it take an accident on an unsupervised school bus for the council to realise that there are some services which you simply cannot risk cutting back on?

  • How can projects like un-necessary fencing in parks at £35,000 per pop be approved one minute (until Lib Dem Councillors Like June Lumley force re-thinks) but then obvious needs like this at a fraction of the cost be axed?! Lets hope a re-think can be forced here too. Common sense must prevail.

  • Parents can fight any decision, as you will see on our site, if escorts are being withdrawn there has to be a safety assessment in place for doing so by law it has to be also be written policy with a proven paper trail.

    As to parents or others doing the escort work, its sadly impractical in every way, apart from CRB checks, the bus companies would turn down this offer on insurance ground we are informed.

    Information to help you take this , or other problems forward might be found on our site.
    Use your councillors & Mp, they are there to help YOU

    As to the question who is responsible for your child on the bus, its the bus company & the drivers are not obliged to fit seat belts either,[ if they are fitted] responsible inside the school gate the local authority are responsible.
    As they board & leave the school bus its parents.
    School bus safety group
    Ron Beaty

  • I am afraid that I do not know the facts about when & if a child qualifies for a school bus – are kids not allocated a place at a school within a reasonable distance of home ? ( excepting that in rural areas this may not apply )

  • I think the volunteer idea is really good. What happened to David Cameron’s Big Society. I thought this would be exactly the sort of project to be involved in. One that actually saves the council money.

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