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OUT OF POCKET: Charlie Bignell and Jessica Emmott.
OUT OF POCKET: Charlie Bignell and Jessica Emmott.
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Bus pass row leaves girls out of pocket


15/ 5/2008

TWO schoolgirls have been refused free bus passes because council officials said they should go to a school nearer home – even though it is due to close down.

Charlie Bignell and Jessica Emmott, both 12, travel from their homes in Summit by bus to Siddal Moor Sports College, where they are in year seven, costing £1.40 a day each.

Both girls’ families applied for financial assistance from the council for their daughters’ bus money, but were refused because they had chosen not to send the girls to the nearer Heywood Community High School.

Both girls, who live on Grassington Drive, were due to attend Heywood Community High School until it was announced it would close.

This would have meant Charlie and Jessica changing schools in the middle of their GCSEs and their families having to buy new uniforms, so it was decided by both families that the girls should attend Siddal Moor instead.

Charlie’s mum Fiona Kilduff said: "It is costing us almost £30 a month for Charlie’s bus fares and it means we can’t afford for her to do other activities after school, which she would like.

"When we applied to the council for a free bus pass, the first time they said no because they said it was under three miles from our house to Siddal Moor, but I disputed that.

"It may be under three miles as the crow flies but my child can’t walk over fields and through farms can she?

"Charlie gets the 163 bus and with the route that takes through Darnhill I would have thought it was much more than three miles."

After the family appealed the council’s decision, they were refused again and were told that Charlie should be attending the nearer Heywood Community School.

Council rules state if a child is not attending the nearest school to their home travel expenses will not be given.

Fiona, who works as a catering assistant at Siddal Moor Sports College, said: "I was quite happy for Charlie to go to Heywood Community High School but then it was announced it would be closing while she was in Year 10.

Jessica’s mum Joanne Burton said: "We are in the same position as Charlie and it is ridiculous.

"I have another daughter, Caitilin, who is a year younger and will be starting Siddal Moor in September.

"I tried to explain that I did not want to have two children at different schools."

After appealing the council’s decision a second time, under a scheme of delegation, the department of learners and young people, who are in charge of the free bus pass scheme, said it would uphold its original decision not to give funding.

Fiona said: "It makes me really annoyed because the council are not providing anything for us.

"There is no school bus and they decided to close the nearest school. It is ridiculous."

Joanne said: "You just can’t win, whatever way you explain it to them.

"They keep saying to me ‘You had a choice where you sent your child’, but no, I didn’t, they made the decision to close the nearest school."

Anne Tipton, head of service for learners and young people said: "We cannot comment on individual cases and issues raised by parents.

"All decisions are made within the council’s published agreement and parents’ concerns will be taken into account on this matter."


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Most recent 2 of 5 user comments

   This is just silly. The parents who would, under normal circumstances, have chosen Heywood Community School have a difficult enough time, without being charged for the privilege of trying to give their children a problem-free education. To charge them for opting not to interrupt their child's education when Heywood Community closes is to add insult to injury. I know that the local authority has its rules, but a bit of sympathy and compassion would be appropriate in such cases.
Helen Freeborn
8/06/2008 at 15:29
   Can i just say my house is actually in Heapridge not the summit.I feel that either way ur not gonna win trying to do the best for your kids.My children walk everywhere and for my 12 year old to be walking over 3 miles to school and home again in this day and age is ridiculous. the councillors are sat in there offices making decisions about which senior school they want to close then they also have to consider the kids whom they are makin it more difficult for and there parents to give them a choice on which school they want to attend. They haven"t even organised school transport,there are 2school buses going to middleton.
fiona kilduff, heapbridge
21/05/2008 at 16:42
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