Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation from the Assistant Director, Commissioning and the Project Manager regarding the implementation and early stages of the new SEN Transport arrangements.
Members were informed that at Corbets Tey and Dycorts Schools the use of meeting points had seen a reduction in the number of routes being taken, representing a significant saving. At Quarles Campus of Havering College of Further and Higher Education, a similar saving had been achieved through the merger of three routes into two. Hall Mead School had seen a shift from the use of buses to taxis; Oglethorpe Pupil Referral Unit had had two routes merged into one as had been the case at Gaynes and James Oglethorpe Schools.
Since the new policy had been in place, 121 assessments had been carried out for pupils at Corbets Tey and Dycorts Schools and these had returned the following results:
– 69 pupils were to continue to have a home pick-up.
– 47 pupils were to use a meeting point.
– 3 Dycorts pupils had been assessed as ready for travel training.
– 32 pupils were to be reassessed for travel training within the next two years.
– Following the assessment meeting, 5 parents had agreed to take their child to and from school themselves.
These assessments and the new policy in general meant that Corbets Tey School routes had been reduced from seven to five with an average of 17 pupils per vehicle and two vehicles having welfare escort officers. Similar savings and reductions had been achieved at Dycorts.
At Corbets Tey School, Transport Observers were on each vehicle for the first two days of term to monitor punctuality and record any issues. The average journey time in July 2011 (based on figures recorded by PTS) was 43.09 minutes, whilst average journey time in September 2011 was 43.00 minutes.
Since the start of term, 33 parents have contacted the Council with queries or problems with the new arrangements; these were broken down in terms of the seriousness of the issue and its resolution, as follows:
- 10 queries were easily answered.
– 12 problems were resolved by agreeing an alternative meeting point.
– 4 issues were resolved by altering the bus route or moving the child to a different bus, without adversely impacting the journeys of other children on the route.
– 4 appeals were rejected.
– 1 appeal was upheld (taxi provided).
Overall, officers remained in constant contact with parents and staff at schools to monitor problems and to constantly review the service.
The Committee heard that at Quarles Campus, due to students’ timetables being more aligned this year; it was possible to reduce the number of routes from 3 buses to 2 larger vehicles. There were issues with punctuality during the first few weeks, due to timetable changes from the college which resulted in frequent reconfiguration of the routes. We are aware of some remaining punctuality issues and are monitoring this closely whilst considering possible solutions. This had been resolved and both vehicles are taking students onto the campus.
The Committee noted changes that had taken place at Hall Mead and Redden Court Schools and further noted that Havering Council has started a six-month pilot scheme with DABD to provide independent travel training. During this phase, referrals were being sought from mainstream secondary schools that could put forward pupils with special educational needs who were currently transported by Council bus or taxi. If assessed by DABD as suitable and ready for training, pupils would receive a 12-week one-to-one training programme which it was hoped would enable them to travel to and from school or college independently.
Numerous points were raised regarding the update; Members expressed some concern that siblings with younger children would pick-ups but this was not reflected in assessment results and it was queried what the average journey time was for a child picked up at 7.30am. It was explained that siblings did not have an automatic qualification and that for a 7.30am the range would be up to 8.45 to 8.50 depending upon the circumstances. On the subject of journey times there was conflicting information regarding the punctuality and efficiency of the new arrangements around journey times and it was requested that officers bring more information around journey times.
There was discussion around the location of meeting points, with some expressing concern that the location of the points was dangerous and unrealistic for vulnerable young people, but it was explained that many points had already been moved that were deemed unsuitable and the location of the meeting points would be continuously reviewed.
Further questions revealed that the projected savings of the new arrangements were on course, with £40,000 per bus being saved. Chaperones were available on some routes, but where pick-up points had been moved nearer to pupils’ homes then it was not possible to provide chaperones at every point. Where taxis were being used the Council was ensuring that it had contracts with a small number of fully accredited companied which had been vetted to quality standards.
More generally, the borough did have an ambition to improve information on journey times and pick-up points were compared with other boroughs to maximise efficiency. The Cabinet Member for Children & Learning had travelled on the longest route to gain first-hand experience of the service. Time logs were kept by each school to monitor standards.
A record of journey times from the Headteacher of Dycorts was circulated via a Member, the information of which was thought to demonstrate the potential range of journey times for journeys to the school and was not an actual record of journeys to and from the school. This was to be looked at further by officers outside of the meeting.
The Committee received a statement from the Chair of Positive Parents regarding their view of the new arrangements. This statement was to be circulated to Members outside of the meeting and the Council response was to be drafted and also circulated.