No Free School Transport for Sixth Formers say the Conservatives

2.52.54pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 11th Jul 2008

There is to be no free "home to school transport" for the County's Sixth Form Students according to a response given by Cllr. Joan Kirkbride, Conservative Councillor for Education on Northamptonshire County Council to a question put by Cllr. John Yates, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesman on Northamptonshire County Council.

Councillor Yates was calling for the council to drop charges for pupils who once they become sixteen have to pay to travel to school at a cost of £330 per school year.

Cllr. Yates says: "Once the students turn sixteen they have to start paying to occupy a seat on a school bus that they have occupied free for a number of years. Penalising students by making them pay for their transport is not the way to encourage our young people to stay on in education. In many instances, particularly in the rural areas there is no alternative to the school bus.

"In these competitive days we need our children to be as qualified as possible when they leave school ready to enter either higher education or to obtain a good job. This is not the way to do it."

ENDS