Blackburn with Darwen Council will review their arrangements for transporting pupils to schools in the Bolton district.
The move follows the cancellation of a bus service for children traveling from Darwen, Turton, Hoddlesden and Chapeltown to and from Canon Slade School. County Head of Education Cllr Julie Gunn has announced a consultation on school bus services to Bolton schools.
In its notice of decision, it says: “The council has a legal duty to provide free home-to-school transportation services to school-age children in the borough who meet the relevant criteria.
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“There is a clear need to review the current school bus arrangements for pupils traveling from this borough to schools in Bolton. All educational authorities have a duty to provide free transportation from home to school to students in their area who meet the eligibility requirements established by law.
“Authorities can also exercise their discretion and provide additional transportation services. Discretionary home-to-school transportation for students who chose to attend religious schools was withdrawn many years ago, although some students still retain the legal right to board-organized home-to-school transportation to religious schools.
“Some religious schools in the borough have chosen to provide funding to allow school bus services to operate that many of their other students can access. The council currently offers four designated services that take students to Bolton schools.
“Although some carry paying passengers, the financial cost is heavily subsidized by the council. It is evident that some of these services are no longer necessary for the municipality to fulfill its statutory duties. The current provision of these services provides students who can access them with a level of service that the council does not provide to students in the rest of the municipality and exceeds our legal obligations.
“The disparity in provision has been raised by several families. This review could potentially confirm the need to modify part of the existing provision to align it with the general provision for fair treatment of all students.
“Potential options include the complete removal of one bus route and the reduction of an additional route. Before making any changes, the Borough must consult with parents of current and prospective pupils using existing transport, and Diocese of Manchester, as one of the schools, is a Church of England secondary school.”
Jean Rigby, West Pennine Borough Cllr, said: “I welcome this review and will ask you to look into the situation with Canon Slade where parents are transporting 30 pupils to and from school.”
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