Transport Arrangements for Post-16 Students
Transport arrangements are sourced and arranged by Westmorland and Furness Council. Students in post-16 education no longer have an entitlement to a seat on transport provided by the Council, but they can apply for a seat where the Council has calculated that there are available seats. This is known as the spare capacity seat scheme. The price of the bus pass is determined by the council.
The administration of this policy is reviewed on an annual basis, and we will advise you should it change.
The spare capacity scheme only operates on existing school transport provision for Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.
For the academic year 2024/2025 the school is involved in a pilot scheme with the council and UCC. Information will be sent to parents of Year 11 and Year 12 students in the Summer Term.
The new scheme means that applications are made directly to the council using the following spare seat form. The deadline for applications for 2024/2025 is 12 July 2024, any received after this date may not be processed for the beginning of September.
The council will then offer seats where available on a first come first serve basis and the Council will invoice parent/carers directly for payment. As the majority of students from both schools utilise the same routes, seats will be offered on a first come first serve basis, allocated in date order of receipt of application forms.
Outcomes from the applications will be communicated to parents and if successful, an invoice will be included with information on how to pay the council directly. The deadline to receive payment will be a week after the invoice is issued. Once payment is received, the bus pass will be sent directly to the home address.
Parents are responsible for contacting the Council’s Integrated Home to School Transport Team to advise if a seat is no longer required so that they may offer a space to someone else on the waiting list. Please note if payment is made but the seat is no longer required, refunds will be issued but due to high volumes of queries this will not be actioned immediately, but they will aim to have these issued within 4 weeks.
The 16 to 19 Education Travel Bursary Fund is a non-means tested scheme run by the council to support young people who live in the Westmorland and Furness area who are experiencing difficulty in paying for transport for educational purposes – whether that be bus, train, taxi, fuel costs for private transport or students who travel by bicycle. More information and details about how to apply can be found here or at: https://westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/16to19bursary this page will be updated on 19th August in preparation for the application window opening.
You can apply directly to the Council for a free seat on low-income grounds or if the student has Special Educational Needs. Please visit the County Council website for further information. If families are outside of these criteria but still require financial assistance then students may apply to the school’s 16-19 Bursary Fund, detail of this are available here.
You will need to consider sourcing alternative transport arrangements in the event that a spare seat is not available.
Applying and Further Information
