Denbighshire County Council has re-affirmed its Home to School Transport Eligibility Policy, following a discussion at its Cabinet meeting in County Hall, Ruthin today (Tuesday).
The policy now includes central pick up points for secondary school pupils as an amendment, with free transport provided to the nearest suitable secondary school. The pick up points will come into effect in September 2015.
A transitional period will be introduced, where pupils who are not attending their nearest school (due to historic anomalies), will remain eligible for transport to their existing school, to prevent disruption to their education. Following a thorough debate, Cabinet Members agreed to alter recommendation 3(vi) - Cabinet requests that the Welsh in Education Strategic Group review the language categorisation of all schools during the Autumn Term and present a report to Scrutiny in early Spring 2015
They also added recommendation (vii) - "An assessment of the impact of the policy be conducted and presented to Scrutiny at the end of the first year of implementation."
Councillor Eryl Williams, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, said: “The current Home to School Transport Policy is silent in many areas and has resulted in the historic anomalies in the current system.
“This amended policy formalises arrangements for transport to school, it is transparent and every attempt will be made to ensure that parents are clear about the transport implications when applying for school places."
The council’s decision to review this policy comes as the school transport service is overspent and the new policy could result in a saving of around £272,000.
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