No retreat on school bus rises

Parents say the charges are penalising school choice

A Devon council is refusing to back down over demands by parents to reinstate old concessionary bus fares for school children.

From the autumn, the new Labour administration on Plymouth City Council is scrapping the concessionary fares for most new secondary school pupils.

It is claimed that bus fares for some school children in Plymouth could go up by as much as 400% as a result.

Parents who have chosen not to use their local schools say they could be forced to pay about £1,000 a year to send one child to school.

I was shocked. It's a considerable amount of money

Parent Jill Cook

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Council leader Tudor Evans said families on the lowest incomes would continue to get help, but others would have to find the money.

He said: "Ninety eight per cent of schools support this decision and the reason is that they would rather have the money in the school classrooms, rather than used to subsidise some children to go to some schools."

There is anger among many parents that they chose their child's school before the changes were introduced.

And they say that they will be forced to take them to school themselves.

Jill Cook, whose daughter is going to Coombe Dean School in September, said: "I was shocked. I was allowing about a £1 each day each way, which I thought was a reasonable fare for a child to travel across the city.

"Then I was told it was going to be £5 a day, and that's a considerable amount of money."

Parents say the charges are penalising true parental choice for schools.

Fiona Hutchings, headteacher at Notre Dame School, said: "Parents may choose a school because of ability, appropriateness, or a deeply-held conviction.

"But whatever the reason, parents have their children's best interests at heart.

"To take that element of choice away from them seems to me a retrograde step."

Some parents are now considering sending their children to school after 0900, when child fares kick in.