Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
School transport ‘fiasco’ faces review
Councillors are meeting to review a school transport “fiasco” that has left disabled pupils stuck on minibuses for up to four hours a day. Kent County Council last month carried out a shake-up to the school run service it provides to more than 5,000 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Hundreds of families have since been affected by a string of issues that have left some disabled young people still without transport, and others facing lengthy journeys to and from school.
KCC is carrying out a review of the situation - which has been described as “a shambles” by parents - with a report set to come before councillors this morning.
Among the many children affected is Caleb Dilnutt, from Swalecliffe, Whitstable. The 11-year-old attends a satellite class run by St Nicholas School at Spires Academy in Canterbury, just five miles from his home as the crow flies. Prior to the February halfterm, Caleb spent roughly 45 minutes on transport to and
from school.
But since the upheaval a fortnight ago, his route and provider have changed, and he is spending between three-and-a-half and four hours on the journey each day.
He is now picked up at 7.15am and typically does not return home until about 4.30pm, frequently arriving at school late as his bus meanders through the area picking up and dropping off other youngsters.
Caleb has dyspraxia - a condition that affects his coordination and processing, leaving
him “very tired” on a daily basis. But his exhaustion has been exacerbated by his early starts and long drives.
His mum, Alison Dilnutt, said: “My son finds life enough of a struggle without having to spend two hours in a bus to do a 15-minute journey.
“He can’t concentrate at school. He’s just exhausted. And being sat in an enclosed van during a pandemic isn’t ideal. “It’s just a shambles. We’re talking about the most vulnerable children in the county, and they’re being put on a bus for
four hours.”
Mrs Dilnutt is among those eagerly awaiting KCC’S report, which is to go before a cabinet meeting today, then before a scrutiny committee on Tuesday. She hopes the authority will provide details of its tender process, why the shake-up happened, and the information that was given to transport providers about the contract.
The report has not yet been made public, but KCC says it will be published “in due course”. Lengthy journey times are one of a proliferation of issues
parents have reported since the transport rejig.
As the half-term break ended a fortnight ago, many were left frantically trying to get in touch with the council after the authority failed to let them know about their child’s new travel arrangements. Meanwhile, children with certain conditions were left struggling to cope with last-minute changes.
“Our children suffer often with severe anxiety, and changes need very careful planning,” said one mum, while another said: “It takes a lot to build a bond between you and the person who’s taking your vulnerable child to school.”
As of yesterday, about 20 children were still waiting to be allocated transport.
While some parents have accused KCC of “penny pinching”, the council says it had to retender its contracts “to address a number of pressures” including a 20% rise in demand, and a shortage of drivers. A spokesman added: “We fully accept that we underestimated the time needed to undertake an exercise of this scale, which has caused considerable anxiety and worry for many families and for this we are deeply sorry. “While most children will now be travelling with their new transport operator, we are still waiting for a small number of operators to confirm they can provide journeys. We are in close contact with these firms to get those arrangements in place as soon as possible. “Families who have had to seek their own transport because of this delay will be reimbursed. “KCC is committed to conducting a thorough review of what has led to this situation, and lessons will be learned so we can improve the experience of families in the future.”