A report provided to the Committee to consider a consultation process on revising the School Transport Policy to remove free transport entitlement for pupils attending Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge School and to change current transport arrangements.

The Committee received a report to consult on revising the School Transport Policy to remove free transport entitlement for pupils attending Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge school.

The report explained that with the opening in September 2024 of the new River Academy secondary school in Reading this would secure sufficient local secondary places for all Reading children. It was therefore appropriate to review the free transport provision for Maiden Erlegh Chiltern school.

It was proposed that the policy change would remove eligibility for children not yet in receipt or eligible for transport. The options for consultation were as follows:

·         Fully removing eligibility from September 2024. This would achieve a full saving of £264,000 per year. This was currently the recommended option, due to the current savings required on School Transport budgets.

·         A planned reduction of between one and two buses a year, to cancel all four buses within a three-year period. A three-year reduction would lead to projected savings of £90,000 per year from September 2024. The planned reduction proposals could be based on year group eligibility or on reducing geographical area eligibility.

The proposed statutory 28-day consultation period would take place during term-time across January – March 2024 with implementation of policy changes from September 2024. The consultation would include dedicated engagement sessions with parents of children attending Chiltern Edge secondary school.

Resolved –

(1)  That a consultation on School Transport policy changes to remove free transport entitlement for pupils attending Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge School and to change current transport arrangements be agreed.

(2)  That the format and process of consultation be delegated to the Executive Director, Children’s Services, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Children’s Services and the Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health.