Frequently asked questions
Where will my child be picked up and dropped off?
This is dependent on the type of transport assistance agreed. This could be from the pupil’s legal home or from an assembly point.
What is an assembly point and will my child have to use one?
Children who are offered places on a bus or minibus may be asked to assemble at a pick-up or collection point or a drop-off point if they are able. Most children who are awarded travel assistance on a vehicle use an assembly point.
What are the maximum journey times?
Journeys to schools within the borough must be no longer than 90 minutes for children eight years old and older. For children under eight the maximum journey time is 75 minutes. Occasionally journey times may exceed these set times because of unusual conditions such as heavy traffic, but in general parents can expect this quality of service.
Are escorts and drivers police checked and trained?
Escorts and drivers will wear identification badges. All drivers and escorts will have received training in emergency procedures, in safety procedures, child protection training, how to use equipment and many other aspects of assisting children with Special Educational Needs. All drivers and escorts will have had a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check completed and will have been judged suitable to undertake the work.
What about medication? Will escorts give medication to children?
No. Escorts and drivers are not permitted to give medicines or to undertake any medical procedure while on route. In an emergency escorts will contact the emergency services and follow their instructions.
Escorts may be asked to carry medicines to school for a child provided the medicines are properly labelled and packaged.
What happens if my child isn’t ready when the bus arrives?
If your child is not at the pick-up location at the scheduled time of pick-up the driver can wait for three minutes past their scheduled time of arrival. Should the child not arrive within this additional time the driver will then continue the journey and you must make your own arrangements to transport your child to school. Drivers cannot wait because to do so would inconvenience the other passengers already on the bus as well as those waiting for collection.
The driver is not permitted to return to collect your child and no backup transport will be provided. If the pick-up location is an assembly point the escort will attempt to contact the parents and guardian on the contact telephone number provided by the parents. In the event that they are unable to contact the parents on this number the school authorities will be notified at the child’s usual set down location and the school will make contact or inform the police.
Please note that the driver does not have to wait for three minutes on arrival. If he or she is already running late and it is three minutes after the scheduled time of arrival then the driver must continue immediately if the child is not ready. Drivers cannot wait because to do so would inconvenience the other passengers already on the bus as well as those waiting for collection.
What happens if I am late home and the bus has already come and gone?
Firstly, you must try to telephone the transport provider for your child. For children attending Waltham Forest Schools please contact CT Plus (020 8509 9140) or if your child attends a school outside of Waltham Forest please contact Ruskin Private Hire Ltd (020 7252 6805) in advance to notify them that you will be late. If you are not available to receive your child at the designated set down point, the driver and escort can wait for 3 minutes beyond the designated set down time before continuing the journey. The driver and escort will not return to the child’s home. Parents will be notified of the missed set down time by either telephone contact or notice left at the set down address. You will be advised by the transport provider where to collect your child. Under no circumstances whatsoever will transport be provided to your home address.
The pick up and set down times are inconvenient. Can they be changed?
No, in almost all circumstances this will not be possible. Parental preferences for changes to the pick up and set down times cannot be agreed. The scheduling of pick up and set down times is a complex operation involving the efficient use of many vehicles, drivers and escorts. A change can involve changes to many children’s schedules. Changing the pick up and drop off time or location can increase journey times and increase costs substantially.
What do I do if I move to a new home?
Parents should notify Waltham Forest of any changes of address or any other change in circumstances that will effect their child’s transport needs. Parents should provide as much notice as possible of the change in circumstances to enable Waltham Forest to properly consider the change, to meet its statutory obligations to the SEN child and to decide on an appropriate course of action.
Can transport be withdrawn?
Transport services may be suspended if they cannot be undertaken safely. The officers of the SEN Team and the transport provider will work closely with parents and with children (where appropriate) to reinstate suspended services as soon as possible.
In the very unlikely event that the risk of injury to escorts and drivers cannot be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level, or that the safety of the child cannot be guaranteed and there is no likelihood of being able to resolve these issues, then transport services will be withdrawn.
My child’s transport arrangements could be improved. Who do I talk to?
If you have a compliment, comment or complaint about your child’s transport please contact the Transport Officer.
You can expect to receive a response within 14 days and this will normally be a written response. Any verbal arrangement that is agreed will be confirmed in writing.
What do you do about bad behaviour and bullying on buses?
Escorts, drivers, parents and children are expected to be courteous and respectful to each other at all times. All children are entitled to travel in a pleasant supportive environment free from the stress of anti-social behaviour.
Bullying and other anti-social behaviour can not and will not be tolerated. Escorts will report incidents of this nature to the schoolteachers when they drop off children. Schools have behaviour management policies and procedures to deal with bullying. Schools and parents are expected to work together to ensure that bullying is reported and eliminated.
Escorts may also choose to complete a critical incident report if they believe the circumstances warrant this and if intervention is needed. If the anti-social behaviour is severe or persistent, Waltham Forest will consider withdrawing access to transport to protect the health and well being of others.
I have one child who gets transport assistance and I have another child who goes to the same school. Can they use the bus as well?
No, in almost all circumstances this will not be possible. At first thought this seems a reasonable request but in transporting your other child the transport company also accepts responsibility for him or her. The company must follow set procedures once this is agreed to ensure the service your child receives is safe, reliable, punctual, comfortable and economic. There are considerable costs involved in ensuring this. If your child is offered access it is only fair that every family in similar circumstances is offered this assistance. The average cost of a place on a vehicle is £5200 per year. This would not be an efficient use of the borough’s resources.
The transport operator requires as much flexibility as possible to add other children to routes and to reorganise schedules at short notice with minimal disruption to other children. For these reasons transport is almost always restricted to children with transport needs.
