Cumbria County Council has decided to make a network of nine bus routes which will be transporting pupils to the temporary site of the new Richard Rose Central Academy in Harraby free of charge.
Families who live outside the Richard Rose Central Academy catchment area had originally been asked to contribute to a subsidised service (proposed charges were £1 return charge for the first child, 50p for a second sibling, and 25p for third and subsequent siblings) but a decision has now been taken that the fairest thing for all pupils will be to make the Academy routes free for all.
The free journeys will be available during the two-year transition phase which involves transferring pupils to the temporary Academy at the former NCTC site in Harraby while a new £31m Academy building is being built on the site of St Aidan's in central Carlisle.
The county council has made the decision now that it has received written confirmation from the Department of Children Schools and Families that they will support the costs of this additional service. It has also made the decision after carefully considering the issues raised by pupils, parents, carers and local representatives.
It is hoped that the free bus routes will also reduce congestion in Carlisle as parents will be encouraged to use the service rather than driving directly to the Harraby site and there will be less traffic heading towards the designated departure points from the St Aidan's site.
Letters are being sent to parents today explaining the new system and asking them to check what travel arrangements they're putting in place for next year. This means parents will be asked to confirm what bus stop and route their children intend to use; parents who have not made a request to use school transport are also being contacted to confirm that this is still the case or whether they would now like to take up the offer of a free place on one of the Academy routes.
In order to calculate the number of buses needed on these routes for next term, parents are being asked to confirm their arrangements by July 18th. Anyone who has arranged to pay for a service which will now be free of charge will now have those payment arrangements cancelled.
Brenda Wile, Cumbria County Council's Head of Building Schools for the Future, said:
"We are delighted to have finally resolved this ongoing issue and hope that parents are now reassured that their views and concerns have been listened to. We hope that as many pupils as possible of the new Richard Rose Central Academy will take advantage of these buses by accessing them at the point nearest to their home address. It is essential that the transport team receive responses from families very promptly in order that the timings of the buses can be finalised and passes issued prior to the new school term. Pupil safety is paramount to us and the network of free buses should help to reduce congestion in the city centre."
Notes for editors
- The attached jpeg file shows the nine designated Academy routes which will be free of charge for Academy pupils. These buses may be accessed at any bus stop along the designated routes by pupils holding a bus pass that will specifically show the allocated bus.
- Those pupils who live beyond these routes (and therefore who also live outside the catchment area) are able to apply to use any route on the dedicated Academy bus network and request to board a bus at any of the identified bus stops. However families will remain responsible for the costs and arrangements of their journey from home to the point at which they access the Academy bus network.
- Arrangements for pupils directed to attend the Academy by Cumbria County Council admissions system and who live outside the catchment area and beyond these routes will be provided with free transport for their complete journey in line with the existing transport policy.
- Those pupils who live near to the former St Aidan’s site but who live within the 2 mile distance from NCTC are expected to make their way directly to the Harraby site. However some pupils living close to this limit may elect to walk to the nearest designated pick up point to access the bus.
- Pupils living outside the catchment area for whom the Academy bus network is not convenient can of course choose to make their own arrangements to get directly to the Harraby site. There are good public bus routes already available to Edgehill Road but these routes cannot be subsidised.
ENDS
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Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 226332