The flags are up! We are looking forward to celebrating our first European Languages Day on Monday!

In response to parent and learner concerns about school transport during the first week of term, Stagecoach have undertaken an immediate review of all bus services and have provided us with the following statement of their findings including some minor changes to services:

‘ After reviewing the school services on the morning of Thursday 8th September 2016, it appears we have more children boarding the 488 service before both the 485 services start to operate. We have therefore instructed one of them to start at New Lodge Club which rectifies the capacity issue on the 488 service. This has been actioned with immediate effect but we would also kindly remind learners and parents we do rely on this service being used. If learners opt not to catch the 485 service and choose to wait for the 488 service they do run the risk of this bus being full which could prevent them from getting to school. We need to ensure that children boarding from Eastfield Arms, Barr lane catch either one of the 485 service vehicles. This then leaves room for children at Darton and Staincross to board the 488. During our investigations it has become evident that learners are opting to wait for the later 488 service however as you will appreciate this vehicle has a limited capacity.

We also reviewed the bus services on the afternoon of Thursday 8th September 2016, the journey home for learners and our findings were as follows:

There are no capacity issues on any of the services, capacity from last night was as follows:

The 445 had 15 remaining spaces

The 485 had  57 remaining

The 93A had 13 spaces

The 95 service bus carried from Kexborough:

• 15:22 – 43 passengers
• 15:37 – 60 passengers
• 16:07 – 35 passengers

Also, the Arriva vehicles 490 Barnsley (full) and 471 Staincross double decker (significantly under capacity)these left without any issues.

The only issue we encountered from reviewing last night’s services was again the 488 service, it reached capacity of 95 – (Full) turning away 8/10 children. I believe the issue to be that the 488 service is the first bus to arrive, approximately 15 minutes before the other three services and learners understandably opt for the first available bus.

Some learners who were unable to board the 488 service were reluctant to board the 485.

Following review of the changes to the 485 morning service we are able to report this mornings service (Friday 9th September 2016)was vastly improved.

We have also allocated a double decker to the 444 service to ensure the 488 no longer suffers from over loading. We again would kindly request that parents ask their children to get on the first available bus and not wait for the 488 service as they may run the risk of not getting on any bus.

Other Issues:

The issue raised about the Stagecoach weekly savers pass I can confirm the following:

This issue has risen due to the fact that the 483 service is no longer operated by Stagecoach, Globe now have the tender for this  route and therefore will not accept Stagecoach tickets. The get-about ticket is a multi use ticket to which learners can buy if they wish to use on Stagecoach and Globe buses, this costs £6.50 per week.

The issue raised with change being issued to learners I can confirm the following:

Children with notes will be given change by drivers but they do not carry an infinite amount of change. Drivers however do offer learners a change voucher (form of credit note), they can use on other Stagecoach services.  The change voucher is like a credit note which can also be exchanged for monies owed as stated on the ticket. Learners do not have to purchase another ticket to receive funds back, they just need to ask the driver to exchange the ticket for a cash amount stated on the ticket. They have one month to do this. It would be preferred if children had less denominations than notes but obviously we understand this isn’t possible all of the time’.

As a school we will continue to work closely with Stagecoach to monitor all bus services to ensure all learners are safely transported to and from school. We are also in the process of collating literature for learners and parents to educate on all bus routes, including alternative routes to avoid the issues we have encountered this week.

Your patience and understanding is appreciated.

Mrs K A Baker

Assistant Principal – Business and HR

It has been brought to our attention that some learners have experienced difficulty getting to and from school Tuesday and Wednesday of this week and we would like to reassure parents that this is being investigated with the bus company as a priority. Stagecoach have provided us with a rapid response and are physically monitoring both morning and afternoon journey’s with staff and inspectors to resolve any issues.

We will be issuing correspondence to parents with our findings by the end of the week.

Your patience and understanding is appreciated.

Exam results day – Thursday 25th August

College will be open between 10.00a.m and 2.00p.m to collect exam results. Any learners not able to collect their results in person can give permission (in writing) for a named representative to collect on their behalf.

Results not given out on the day will be held in college where they can be collected on or after 5th September.