Warwickshire parents left struggling after school transport ‘nightmare’
PARENTS are struggling with “nightmare” commutes and anxious children, due to a school transport blunder.
Many are upset and furious at being let down by the council after those eligible for free taxis or bus rides to school weren’t sent their passes in time.
Those whose children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pointed out the mayhem is making their youngsters tearful and stressed.
Others were left stranded on the side of road and made late for lessons, after school buses failed to turn up.
Alcester mum-of-three Jen Hopkins is having to drive for three hours a day to take her eldest son, Oscar, to and from college, as they’ve been left in the lurch.
Despite Oscar, who has ADHD, autism and dyslexia, being eligible for free transport, Warwickshire County Council hasn’t provided it.
The 18-year-old, who was excited to start his digital media course, was heartbroken after missing the first week because of the delay.
And Jen, whose seven-year-old child Jack is also autistic, has been warned her three-hour commute won’t be over soon, as the county council has told her it may take three weeks for the problem to be sorted.
She said: “We’ve had an all hell’s nightmare. I’ve emailed and phoned the council and spent over five hours on hold to them – two hours one day, two hours on another and an hour on the third call.
“With that and the driving for three hours, it’s pushed me to tipping point – I was so overwhelmed I had to go and see my doctor and they’ve signed me off work.”
Jen, who runs a support group for parents of children with educational needs, added: “I’m not the only one saying ‘what the hell – what’s going on and where’s the support?’
“We feel massively let down– it’s a mess and it feels like they [Warwickshire County Council] just don’t care.
“They said I can claim up to £20 a day but I said that’s really lovely but what about the expense to my mental and physical health?”
Hordes of parents are venting their frustration on social media with one mother fuming: “Stratford High School bus has still not arrived – I have notified the school – it’s not good enough and children are missing education and having late marked on their record.”
She added: “It’s disgraceful… it’s not good enough – the children are being very let down.”
Another mum singled out the 75a bus service for her wrath, complaining it was very delayed and adding: “My boy has time anxiety and always makes sure he is early everywhere, he waited at the bus stop nearly an hour this morning… he is upset and marked late on register.
“It’s not fair on the kids.”
Others slammed the No. 2 bus for its patchy service, while another angry mum told how she’d had to pick up her son from the 75a bus stop after he’d been waiting 45 minutes.
A spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council said: “We are aware of the recent challenges with home-to-school transport for some pupils at the start of this term, and we have been working diligently to resolve them as quickly as possible.
“Our transport team has been focused on organising arrangements for applications submitted by the May deadline.
“The majority of children, both in SEND and mainstream schools, have successfully received transportation to school.
“However, we recognise that some families did not receive their transport confirmations in time to prepare for the new school year, and for that, we sincerely apologise.
“We understand the added stress this has caused and have been working hard to confirm travel arrangements as quickly as we can.
“Our team is currently managing a high volume of calls and emails. If you have contacted us, please be assured that we will respond as soon as possible.
“For applications submitted after the deadline, particularly those received in the last few weeks, transport will be allocated as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately, due to the high number of late applications, we have been unable to process them all before the start of the academic year.
“Families who applied late are advised to arrange alternative transportation until their application has been processed.
“We want to reassure parents that we are committed to reviewing the issues that have occurred and will be looking into ways to improve our processes to ensure transport arrangements can be confirmed in a more timely way.”
Stratford MP Manuela Perteghella said she would be meeting with the county council.
“It is absolutely vital that children have access to the education they deserve, the reports I have received from residents about the crisis in Warwickshire’s home-to-school transport are totally unacceptable,” she said.
“I will be making it clear to the Conservative county leader that residents left out of pocket must be reimbursed.”
