Bath and North East Somerset Council has decided to press on with the phased ending of subsidies to other than the poorest families who choose to send their children to church schools more than three miles from home. At the moment, the first child costs £300 p.a., the second and third £150 and additional children travel free. For pupils starting school or changing school in September 2014, who are not in receipt of free school meals etc., parents will have to pay full fare.
No child currently at a primary or secondary school will be affected by the change while at their current school.
The church or denominational schools are, the Council hopes, going to arrange their own transport. If they don't, the Council's savings will take much longer to build up, suggesting that the schools are either more efficient managers than the Council or they will somehow find more cash to meettransport costs.
The Council apparently does not know how many children attending faith schools will qualify for free transport because the school concerned is more than two–three miles from their home and is the nearest school, forcing the Council by law to pay for their transport in any case.
The schools fear that families of faith not on benefits etc. who are often already financially stretched may send their children to other schools, altering the religious balance in the faith schools over time.
St Gregory's RC School, which is being enlarged, has developed an expertise teaching Polish and Fillipino pupils, for whom English is their second language. These children may be now spread to other schools not set up to teach them so effectively, increasing costs elsewhere.
Removing subsidised school busses, it is feared, will increase the number of parents driving their children to school, with a consequent knock-on effect to congestion and air pollution.
School bus services are, it is recommended, to be reviewed six times per year, which will leave parents unsure if their child will be able to get to school next term.