Context
5. The provision of home to school transport is governed
by the Education Act 1996 (in England and Wales and similar legislation
in Northern Ireland) which defines maximum walking distances of
two miles for children under eight and three miles for older children
up to the age of 16 to the nearest available school. The 1996
Act was a consolidation Act; the Government told us "the
3/2 mile 'statutory walking distances' date back to the nineteenth
century".[3] Children
who live more than these distances from their "nearest suitable"
school receive free transport. However children who live within
the minimum distance of their schools or who choose to attend
a school that is not the "nearest suitable" one, even
if it is more than the minimum distance, may be denied free transport.
Local Education Authorities (LEAs) may provide free transport
for pupils, particularly where walking routes are unsafe or where
a child attends a denominational school beyond the statutory walking
distance. But over the past 20 years LEAs have pruned their school
transport budgets, and used their discretionary power to provide
free transport less often.[4]
6. Yet even as school transport budgets have shrunk,
parental choice for schools gives children access to schools further
from home and so complicates travel patterns. The average length
of the school journey has increased from 1.7 miles in 1985/86
to 2.7 miles in 2002.[5]
It has been estimated that half the increase in the use of the
car for school transport is due to the increased length of the
school journey. The other half is due to modal shift to cars.
People are now more likely to travel by car where before they
would have walked, cycled or used the bus.[6]
It was suggested that, although in theory school choice was available
to all, transport problems restrict less well-off families' ability
to exercise this choice.[7]
7. Research has indicated that many parents would
rather not drive their children to school. A study by the School
Travel Advisory Group (STAG) into parents and pupils attitudes
to home to school transport found there was suppressed demand
for school buses. 48% of parents who were ineligible for free
school transport (including 44% who drove) were prepared to consider
switching to such buses.[8]
8. But despite the reported willingness of parents
to consider other forms of transport, the use of cars to take
pupils to school is growing. The National Travel Survey shows
that over the last 20 years car use on the school journey has
doubled so that almost one in five cars on the road in the morning
peak is taking children to school. The school journey does not
only contribute to congestion and pollution, it adds risk. The
road accident rate for children (0-15) peaks between 8am and 9am,
when they are travelling to school, and again at 3pm when they
leave.[9]
9. Some parents believe that the statutory walking
distances are out-of-date, while others are concerned about high
fares, bullying, vehicle quality, or arrangements which do not
cater for the needs of younger pupils. Many people have highlighted
the problems faced by pupils who live just inside the statutory
walking distances, say between one and three miles from school.
It may be too far or impractical to walk to school, particularly
for primary age children or older children carrying heavy bags;
and the walking route may be unsafe.
10. The total of £600 million spent on school
transport provision in England compares with £260 million
in support for socially necessary bus services, £180 million
for London bus services, £480 million on concessionary fares
on local services, £200 million on social services transport
and £150 million on non-emergency health transport.[10]
Local authorities' expenditure on providing home to school transport
has been rising far in excess of the rate of inflation: there
was an increase of 18.3% between 2000/1 and 2002/3.[11]
The increasing pressure on the home to school transport budgets
and the restrictions imposed by current legislation is limiting
the capacity of some LEAs to respond to other important educational
needs.[12]
11. Despite the high and increasing cost there is
still widespread concern about the safety and quality of school
transport and this is considered in chapter 4.[13]
There is evidence that few companies want to tender for school
transport contracts[14]
and that LEAs are reluctant to set minimum quality standards for
fear it will result in even fewer companies tendering and a further
increase in the cost of contracts.[15]
12. This brief summary demonstrates that the statutory
provision does not reflect the current situation in which parents
can choose schools. It leads to high costs and does not ensure
high quality. It is right to see if other arrangements could work
better. It is extremely welcome that the Government has chosen
to look at school transport now. It is clear that there are already
serious problems. In principle, the Committee supports the Government's
decision to address the problem of school travel and welcomes
the close co-operation of the Department for Education and Skills
(DfES) and the Department for Transport (DfT) on this Bill. However,
even our brief examination of the Bill has raised questions about
the proposals in the draft Bill itself.
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