Travelling to School

Responsibility for school transport lies with the County Council, now split between North Northants and West Northants.

Wollaston School students may be eligible to travel to school by means of a County Council Bus Pass, these will be issued annually for students in Years 7-11. For Post-16 students (Year 12/13) there is a requirement to purchase a pass annually at a cost of £795. The application process normally ends in May of the preceding academic year. Any applications received after this date will not be processed until October, until this time students would need to find alternative means of transport.

In the interests of health and safety this large number of students are expected to behave on the journey to and from school and whilst waiting at bus stops.

Buses will depart Wollaston School at 3.05pm, each student is responsible for arriving on time. Bus passes must be shown on boarding.

Any concerns should be raised with a member of staff immediately.

Travel Agreement

Each student will be issued with a bus pass in September of a new academic year. The pass will indicate a specific service number that the student may board. Travel on other buses is not permitted at any time. All students who travel to school on the school bus are expected to follow the transport code of conduct. This document outlines the expected levels of behaviour and methods of conveying information about behavioural incidents should they occur. Breaches of the transport code of conduct will result in investigation by the school and can lead to temporary or permanent transport ban – during this time an alternative means of transport must be provided by parents/carers.

Forgotten, lost or broken bus pass procedure

If a student has forgotten their bus pass, a temporary pass can be issued at the end of the day from the main gate. Each student is entitled to a maximum of 5 temporary passes over the course of the academic year, warnings will be issued on the 2nd and 4th occasions and after a fifth occurrence students will need to find alternative means of travel.

If a student has lost or their bus pass is broken, parents / carers will need to contact the appropriate council body and order a new pass. The cost of a replacement card is £25 – payment can be made over the telephone with a debit / credit card or via the secure payment system. The replacement will then be sent to the school to be handed to the student. Please email a copy of the receipt which will provide a reference number to [email protected] who will then be able to issue a school pass until the new one arrives.

Actions to be taken if travel agreement is broken

The school works closely with the respective council and the bus companies to ensure that students travel to school safely.

If a student is reported for engaging in disruptive and/or dangerous behaviour they will be disciplined according to the schools behaviour management policy, there are specific sanctions that will apply to poor behaviour on school transport. This includes the ability to temporarily suspend travel or to permanently remove access. Parents/Carers, the council and bus company will be contacted to explain the decision.

Good behaviour is expected of all our students when travelling on buses to and from school and on school related activities or trips. Members of staff and parents/carers should encourage safety awareness for our students during travel on buses. Basic requirements are:

• Follow the instructions of the driver.
• No student should stand or move from seat to seat or between decks whilst the bus is in motion.
• If the bus/coach has seat belts the students must wear them.
• Unless required to listen to instruction, students may talk to neighbouring passengers but must not shout to those seated further away.
• The bus must be at a complete stop before trying to get on the bus. The bus must also be at a complete stop before students leave their seats to get off the bus.
• Students are expected to help keep the bus clean and tidy by using the litter bins and trays provided.
• Smoking including vaping is not allowed on any form of school transport.
• Any damage to bus property will be expected to be paid for.