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Provision of Transport by Hertfordshire County Council to Faith Schools (Archived Document)

This consultation has now closed. The Cabinet agreed on Tuesday 18th July, to proposals to phase out free transport to faith schools from September 2007.

However, children entitled to free school meals will continue to receive free transport to their nearest faith school, if that school is over the statutory walking distance - more than two miles for children under eight and more than three miles for children aged eight and over. Children with siblings already at the faith school they join (except those in the sixth form) and getting free transport through the existing policy, will also be entitled to free transport.

David Lloyd, Executive Member for Education said: "I understand the strength of feeling generated by the review and people should have no doubt that the nineteen thousand responses we received to our consultation have shaped the proposal agreed today.

"Our role has been to balance the wishes of those parents who want their children to have free transport to faith schools against the wider needs of all Hertfordshire's children. This decision should be seen for what it is - a necessary move to make the best and fairest use of limited resources. The amendments agreed to our original proposal demonstrate that we have protected the interests of families on low incomes, understood the concerns of parents with siblings already at faith schools and put in place measures to reduce the environmental impacts of the policy. In particular, we will continue to provide established school bus routes to faith schools, on which parents will be able to pay for places."

Information on the public meetings held during the consultation period can be found on the link below.