Concerned parents across the Isle of Wight, who are facing cuts to over half the school bus services as a new term begins, have written to the Isle of Wight Council and Southern Vectis to urgently request a meeting to discuss supporting their children to get back to school.
The letter lays out the challenges that families are facing to get their children to secondary schools in Newport, Sandown and Ventnor as the previous bus routes have been cut and scheduled public services fail to meet the school start and finish times.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the nation earlier this week:
“We want to make sure that transport is no obstacle [on returning to school] and it won’t be.”
However, on the Isle of Wight families are reporting that significant additional challenges have been put in place which are preventing their children from getting safely back in to school.
Some children are facing being dropped off by public bus an hour early, and others left to wait an hour-and-a-half to get home. In addition, previous bus routes which dropped off at the school gates have been scrapped, leaving children from age 11 with no alternative but to walk an extra mile from the bus station to school and others to wait outside in all weathers, as due to coronavirus schools can no longer accommodate pupils to wait in school before or after lessons.
A spokesperson for the parents said:
“We are urging both the IW Council and Southern Vectis to meet with parents to discuss the published timetables, and ensure that our children can get to school on time and in safety.
“The government have promised that families will be supported with extra school buses being put on at this worrying time – instead on the Isle of Wight we are facing huge cuts!
“Families are already concerned about the health consequences of getting back to school: to deal with such unacceptable transport is a stress we must address before term begins.”
Families affected by the withdrawal and changes to the school transport arrangements are urged to get in touch with other parents via Facebook by requesting to join the group “School Bus Cuts IOW – September 2020” at https://www.facebook.com/groups/3227946247243307/.
Letter sent by parents to the Council and Southern Vectis
Dear Richard Tyldsley (Southern Vectis) and Martin Goff (Hampshire & IW Council),
We are a group of concerned and anxious parents, attempting to get clarity and support to enable our children to get back to school in September.
With only 2 weeks until the first day back at school, it is deeply worrying that so many of us still are not sure how our children are going to get to school on time, and get home safely. We understand that the IW Council decision to cut the budget and cancel over half of the IW Council operated school bus services was made early in 2020, weeks before the Coronavirus pandemic. But since then, the reality of the pandemic means that safe transport to school is of paramount importance.
Only yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the nation that “We want to make sure that transport is no obstacle [on returning to school] and it won’t be.” But we are very concerned that here on the Isle of Wight the combination of entire bus routes being cancelled in 2020, plus putting children on public scheduled buses, will put a huge amount of strain on both our transport providers, our roads and our children. We are a rural county, and many of our children have to travel over 40 miles a day – they cannot walk or cycle on safe routes. Cars are not a suitable alternative to the school bus: island commuters do not want to have to deal with thousands of additional cars on our roads.
We feel that the new arrangements – including whole bus routes being lost and changed, new commercial ‘scholars services’ and reliance on already busy scheduled services – has been poorly communicated to families. Many of us are now unsure how we can now get our children to school on time and back home in safety, and we are certain that many parents still do not know that the whole system has changed.
The reality of the recently published new council buses, Southern Vectis scholars buses and scheduled public service timetables is that dozens of children will arrive at Island schools up to an hour before doors open, and have to wait up to an hour and a half to get a bus home. Others will be on buses which arrive after lessons begin. This is unacceptable, particularly when due to coronavirus our schools cannot accommodate students in the building before and after school and will be leaving them outside in the wind and the rain.
We are asking you for a meeting between the IW Council Transport staff, Southern Vectis management and parents from across the Isle of Wight who are concerned about the cuts and changes to the school bus service, with a view to extra services and timetables which match the school day. We also ask that staff are made available at major bus stops, Newport Bus Station and our Secondary Schools from September 3rd to monitor and survey the additional strain on the bus network in the first ten days of term, with a view to improving and amending the bus services in order to support our children getting back to school.
We look forward to hearing from you, and putting in place a safe and punctual school transport service for Isle of Wight students at this vulnerable and critical time in their education journey.
Regards
Parents concerned about School Bus Cuts, Isle of Wight
Wouldn’t it be great if, unlike our government, our council used a bit of forethought. Why, one week before the schools go back, are parents having this battle to get their kids back in school? The council and bus company have had nearly six months to sort this out whilst the schools have been closed. Incompetent seems to be synonymous with Torie at the moment.
Club together, use a tiny portion of your child allowance and / or child tax credits to fund a private mini bus would be my suggestion.
Those who chose to live in more out of the way places, must realise that most don’t when they have children because of transportation issues.
Wanting ones cake, and expecting others to pay for such in todays cash strapped times is perhaps expecting too much.
If only it were as simple as ‘choosing where you like’ to live. As opposed to (in the real world) it being a case of what you can afford, where you can afford it, taking a place to live where you can.
Bumnose, I would love to know in which backwater of Wight you were born…. Some of us whose forebears weren’t greedy enough to sell quaint yokel properties to North Face jackets wearing Ray Bans actually still live in these ‘remote’ places. Didn’t choose to. Just do. Should children in parts of Alaska or Congo, or the beautiful countryside bits of Leicestershire be denied a school bus because they live there? Ooh, paying some taxes for wee ones to get to school. Disgusting! I bet you don’t stand outside any branch of Boots the Chemist helping the ladies out when they get no end of pony and trap from the methadone squad. No, sir; too scared. Still school buses are fair game are they?
The council have had to duplicate / seperate schoolbuses to Carisbrooke and Christ the king after government ‘advice’. Routes 201 to 206 will be duplicated with routes 291 to 296. Maye there will be .some last minute spare seats for the autumn term.
This story reminds me of another tory who said the lady is not for turning ,are our council and there officers of a like mind , our granddaughter has had her times changed so there is no school bus to get her to school in the morning and she will have to wait for 1 hour after school before she can get a bus home . I just wonder how many children are in the same situation . I have asked this question before if the child is late or cannot get to there school on time will this council be taking them to court for poor attendance ?