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Apply for the Spare Seats scheme (Reception to year 11)
If your child isn’t entitled to free school transport, there may be spare seats available through the ‘Spare Seat Scheme’.
How seats are allocated
New spare seat applications are allocated as follows and dependent on seat availability.
| Primary transport | Secondary transport | Joint transport |
|---|---|---|
| Spare seats will be offered to education providers as a priority for Post-16 students. | ||
| Infants living between 1 and 2 miles | Year 11- in order of date received | Year 11 - in order of date received |
| Juniors living between 2 and 3 miles | Year 10 - in order of date received | Year 10 - in order of date received |
| Infants living within 1 mile | Years 9 to 7 - in order of date received | Primary – as shown opposite |
| Juniors living within 2 miles | Secondary years 9 to 7 - in order of date received |
If your child's spare seat is withdrawn
The withdrawal of a spare seat or the provision of a less convenient boarding point, whilst most regrettable, is sometimes unavoidable.
Where possible a minimum of one week’s notice will be given to parents or carers. However, on occasions it may be necessary to make such changes at very short notice, for example within 24 hours. This is because we must give priority at all times to children who are entitled to free transport.
Withdrawal criteria
If it is necessary to withdraw spare seats, it would be done on an individual basis in the following order:
- non-catchment children
- catchment children whose parents are not receiving their maximum Working Tax Credit
- catchment children with parents receiving their maximum Working Tax Credit
- post-16 students
| Primary transport | Secondary transport | Joint transport |
|---|---|---|
| Juniors living within 2 miles – oldest child first of | Years 7 to 9 – last on first of | Secondary years 7-9 – last on f irst off |
| Infants living within 1 mile – oldest child first of | Year 10 – last on first of | Primary – as shown opposite |
| Juniors living between 2 and 3 miles – oldest child first of | Year 11 – last on first of | Year 10 – last on first of |
| Infants living between 1 and 2 miles – oldest child first off | Year 11 last on first of | |
| Seats offered to education providers for Post-16 students |
Seat capacity
The capacity cannot be increased or unnecessarily maintained at our expense to cater for spare seat passengers. As a result, routes are rationalised to reflect the needs of children who are entitled to free transport. This can lead to fewer or no spare seats being available on a particular route.
On existing contracted runs, where reasonably possible and the increased costs are fully met by parents or carers, vehicles can be rerouted or larger ones provided to cater for pupils not accommodated on the existing provision. In these situations the increased costs would be in addition to a 30p per day administration charge.
Where such arrangements are impossible or impractical, parents or carers of non-entitled children may wish to enter into a private arrangement with an operator.
Where your child would board a vehicle
The routes of private hire vehicles are organised to meet our responsibilities for children who are entitled to free transport. Your child would therefore be collected at the nearest boarding point determined by us.
This boarding point may be some distance from your home and it is your responsibility to ensure your child is taken to and collected from the boarding point. We reserve the right to alter boarding points according to circumstances.