We provide an optional bus service to make it easier for families to get children to and from school each day. We will do all we reasonably can to provide a comprehensive service at the normal start and end of the school day, although it may not be possible to serve some locations because of distance, direction and traffic conditions. We choose each route and pick-up point to balance the needs of students, minimising travelling time and the number of pick-ups as far as possible.
We work hard to maintain a consistent service through the year, but varying family circumstances, traffic flow changes and city events may result in changes during the course of a year. We telephone parents when there is a minor change to a bus route or timings and we send letters home if we have to make a significant change.
We see the school buses as an extension of the school and we expect the same high standards of students using them as we expect at school. Younger and older students ride the bus together and we expect the older students to make sure that their conversations are appropriate on the bus, and we expect the younger students to ensure that the older students are able to work relatively undisturbed, if they wish.
Each bus has a Bus Monitor who supervises the students and ensures that behaviour is good and that students are safely seated. If there are any problems with the behaviour of a student on the bus then we normally follow these guidelines:
- First time – a warning from the bus monitor.
- Second incident – a further warning and a report to the class or form teacher. The class or form teacher will talk with the student.
- Third time – a report to the class or form teacher, and to the head of year. We would normally discuss the issue with parents at this point.
If problems persist, we may ask that the student doesn’t use the bus service for a period of time, although we hope to avoid behaviour issues getting to this level. We would discuss concerns at this level with parents and work together to ensure appropriate behaviour from a student.
If students do not respond appropriately to the bus monitor, the bus monitor will report this to the Bus Coordinator. This will then be followed up by members of the school’s leadership team.
