Will school transport operate from the start of the new academic year?

Yes, our transport operators will be operating a full service for children and young people who travel on County Council provided transport (coach, minibus or taxi) to and from school from the start of the new academic year until further notice.

Normal pick up and drop off arrangements will apply unless you have been notified otherwise. 

Will social distancing be in place on school transport vehicles?

As per the Department for Education guidance, there is no requirement for children to socially distance on dedicated home to school transport in the way required on public transport. However, arrangements are being made for operators to allocate seating in separate areas of the vehicle according to year group, to minimise mixing between year groups and to ensure children sit with the same group of children each day.

Why isn’t social distancing being implemented in the same way on school transport as it is on public transport?

The guidance indicates that the arrangements for social distancing on public transport are not required on dedicated school transport because (i) the overall risk to children and young people of serious illness as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) is very low (ii) they do not mix with the general public on those journeys (iii) dedicated school transport often carries the same group of children and young people on a regular basis, and they may also be together in school or college (iv) the predictability of dedicated school transport will allow for planning so that protective measures can be put in place

What is a face covering and should my child wear one?

A face covering is a covering of any type which covers the nose and mouth and fits securely around the side of the face.

We are strongly recommending that children and young people aged 11 and over wear a face covering when travelling on dedicated home to school transport. This does not apply to people who are exempt from wearing a face covering under the rules for public transport. 

Children under 11 may wear a face covering if they are able to handle it as directed.  

Are there any other steps being taken to keep children sat apart from one another?

Yes. A considerable number of school transport routes transport children to different schools on the same vehicle.

Measures are being put in place so that wherever possible additional vehicles are utilised so that the children and young people from different schools are transported on separate vehicles. If there are any cases where this is not practically possible, children from different schools will be allocated seats in separate sections of the vehicle.  

What about students who use public transport?

Given that social distancing is required on public transport, work has been undertaken with the major bus operators (Arriva, Go North East, Stagecoach) and other smaller bus operators in Northumberland to identify likely overloading on those journeys that facilitate transport to educational establishments. 

On some services, larger vehicles are being deployed than those normally used that would otherwise be likely to be overloaded as a result of social distancing requirements.

On a number of other routes, arrangements are being progressed to provide additional capacity by introducing a duplicate dedicated scholar service on those busiest services operating around school opening and closing times. These services would run alongside the normal bus service but would be restricted to use by school and college students and pupils, thereby providing additional seating capacity overall but also separating school and college students from the wider travelling public. 

What instructions have been issued to my child’s transport provider?

Transport operators are being asked to:

• where possible, deploy a larger vehicle than that normally deployed on their school transport route in order to allow increased separation of children and young people between year groups or individuals. 
• consider systems for boarding, alighting and queuing of children and young people to minimise contact and mixing.
• not use face to face seating to sit children and young people on board vehicles
• deploy the same driver and passenger assistant (where applicable) for the operation of each contract on a continuous basis unless exceptional circumstances apply to reduce the risk of transmission.
• keep vehicles well ventilated by opening windows and ceiling vents wherever possible and to not use re-circulation air conditioning (whilst being aware of the need to avoid the risk of children leaning out of windows etc). 
• Remind drivers and (where deployed) passenger assistants to wash their hands before and after every journey
• Report any concerns to the council about social distancing at bus stops or collection points
• Arrange for children and young people to sit with other passengers in their own year group or where this is not possible to sit with other passengers attending the same school.
• Use signage to indicate to children and young people where they should sit
• Implement procedures for standard and deep cleaning of vehicles 
• clean regularly touched objects and surfaces (like door handles and handrails) more often than usual using standard cleaning products

Further details of the control measures school transport providers are required to put in place can be found in the guidance and instructions to school transport operators by clicking here.

Generally speaking, the council only provides free transport to children who:

• are of compulsory school age
• are a resident of Northumberland
• attend their nearest and appropriate qualifying school, or
• attend their nearest school chosen on grounds of religion or belief
• live beyond the statutory walking distance for their age, or
• live within the statutory walking distance for their age but the walking route is deemed “unavailable” for safety reasons by the council, or
• qualify for “extended rights” on the grounds of low income, or
• are unable to walk to school as a result of their disability, special educational needs or mobility problems

For more information about eligibility, please read section 4 of the Home to School Travel and Transport policy.

 

Council policy states that if a parent chooses to apply for a place at a school outside their child's catchment area, they are wholly responsible for making home to school transport arrangements, unless the preferred school is closest to the home address as measured by the county council’s approved GIS measuring system.

Information on school catchment areas can be found on the school admissions webpage.

For more information around parental preference for a school, please read section 6 of the Home to School Travel and Transport policy.

 

A new application should be submitted when your child moves to a new address. The application will be assessed based on the eligibility criteria that can be found in section 4 of the Home to School Travel and Transport policy.

 

In some cases, it may be possible for you to purchase unoccupied seats on vehicles deployed on school transport contracts in accordance with the terms of the county council’s Concessionary Travel Scheme.

Please click here to read the terms of the Concessionary Travel Scheme. 

If you are interested in applying after reading the terms of the travel scheme, please contact the school transport team on 01670 624839. We will advise you if spare seats are available to purchase on a school bus or taxi in return for the concessionary fare.
 

The type of travel assistance offered will be determined by the council council, making the best use of public funds available and paying due regard to a child’s well-being.

This would normally be a place on a school bus or taxi service commissioned by the county council, but other options include:

• season tickets to enable travel on local bus or rail services
• travel allowances paid to parents to transport their own children to and from school

In some cases, where it is agreed to provide travel support for a child living relatively close to school they may be provided with a passenger assistant to accompany them on the walk to and from school.

Further information is provided in sections 14-16 of the Home to School Travel and Transport policy.
 

Once you have received confirmation that your school transport application has been successful, transport arrangements will usually be put in place within 10 working days. The exception to this is when you apply for school transport that is required from the start of a new academic year. In this case, you will be informed of your child’s new transport arrangements during the summer holidays.

Once your child’s place at their new school is confirmed we would strongly advise you to submit your application as early as possible. This should ensure school transport is in place for your child for the new school term beginning in September. If applications are received late into the summer holidays, we may not be able to have travel arrangements in place for your child. It will then become your responsibility to ensure children attend school until your transport application has been processed and travel arrangements confirmed.

If you submitted your application in good time and have not heard from us, then please call us on 0345 600 6400.

Alternative ways of contacting the school transport team are provided in section 23 of the Home to School Travel and Transport policy.

If your child has lost or damaged their bus pass, you will be required to replace it at your own cost.

Northumberland County Council

• If the bus pass is produced by Northumberland County Council, please call the contact centre on 0345 600 6400.

Arriva

• For passes issued for travel by ARRIVA, contact the Business Administration Team on 0191 520 4144.

Go North East

• For GO NORTH EAST passes, contact Customer Services on 0191 420 5050.

There is a separate policy outlining travel assistance that is available for post-16 students. Eligibility criteria can be found in Annex 1 of the transport policy:

Please click here to view our Post-16 Transport Policy.

In general, for a student to qualify for travel support they will need to be:

• a resident of Northumberland and undertaking a course of study at their nearest learning provider which is located more than three miles from their home address
• aged 16 years old or over, but under 19 on 31 August 2019 and 
• starting a course in Y13 or earlier and 
• on a course which is full time, at a higher level than previous studied and equates to foundation learning 1, 2 or 3

An administration fee of £50 is payable at the point of submitting an application and is non-refundable. Please ensure you meet all the eligibility criteria before submitting an application for post-16 transport. 

Northumberland College has arranged a number of its own bus services. If your child is attending Northumberland College and your application for post-16 transport has been declined by Northumberland County Council, you may be able to get travel assistance through Northumberland College.

You can contact Northumberland college via Student Infozones (available at Ashington and Kirkley Hall), or via telephone:

• 01670 841 200
• Please click here for the Northumberland College website.