School transport plans in place for start of term in Cambridgeshire
Home to school transport arrangements for eligible pupils in Cambridgeshire are being finalised in preparation for the new school term.
These include updated guidance for those with special educational needs and disabilities, on the wearing of face coverings for children, and the cleaning of vehicles at regular intervals.
All pupils in Cambridgeshire aged 11 and older will be required to wear a face covering provided by their parent or carer - unless they have a medical reason not to wear one.
Face coverings should be in place - covering the nose and mouth - as the pupil boards the vehicle. If a pupil does not have a face covering - and does not have a medical reason not to wear one – the bus driver may refuse them permission to travel.
If a child has a medical reason which means they are unable to wear a face covering, they are encouraged to wear a badge which shows they are exempt. Templates for making an exemption badge are available on the Government’s face coverings webpages.
On arriving at the school, the face covering should be carefully removed and stored safely, after which children should wash their hands.
Pupils are encouraged to carry their own hand sanitiser with them on school transport, and to wash their hands before and after using the vehicle.
Vehicles will be cleaned daily, with common touch points such as rails, handles and the backs of seats being cleaned after every journey.
To start with, no school transport vehicle will serve more than one school at any one time. This arrangement will be reviewed at Christmas.
Pupils should also be encouraged to stay at least a metre apart if possible when waiting at the bus stop.
Guidance for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) states that where possible children should either sit with their ‘bubble’ on school transport, or with the same constant group of children each day.
However, due to pressures on capacity and resources, together with the high costs involved in transporting students, bubble arrangements may not be possible in all cases. The Transport Teams in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are working hard to meet requests in discussion with schools on an individual basis, and in some cases suggesting alternative options. Further information will be sent out shortly.
This guidance applies only to those pupils and students for whom the Council has a statutory duty to provide home to school transport because they meet specific eligibility criteria.
Parents whose children are not eligible for help are still required to make their own transport arrangements when term starts. The website Traveline is a good source of information about making journeys on the public transport network.
Further information on road safety and promoting sustainable travel to and from school can be found on the road safety section of Cambridgeshire County Council’s website, or Peterborough City Council’s Travelchoice pages.
Families are encouraged to monitor Cambridgeshire County Council’s School Transport webpages or Peterborough City Council’s School Transport pages for updates if Government guidance changes.
Sue Eagle, Social and Education Transport Manager for Cambridgeshire County Council said: “We are keen to get children back into the classroom as soon as possible. But this must be done safely – for the children, their teachers and the school bus drivers. We have therefore produced an updated leaflet which takes into account the latest guidance about wearing face coverings, which will be distributed with bus passes before the start of the new term. We would urge all families to read this carefully and to ensure their child observes the advice and regulations that it contains.”
