Parents could pay more for post-16 school transport

A council is considering an increase to parental charges for older pupils who use a home to school transport service.

A cost-cutting plan could mean parents’ contributions to transport fees for sixth-formers in Newport will rise in January.

A 5% hike in those contributions from parents would work out at around 47p extra a school week, or £18.50 more for an academic year, the city council said.

Rise

“Currently 83 pupils are taken to six secondary schools so they can continue their post-16 education,” a council spokesperson explained, adding that parental contributions to post-16 school transport would rise “for the first time in almost a decade” if the proposal is agreed.

A new council report on the proposal notes there are five secondary schools in Newport – and one outside the city – to which the council provides a post-16 transport service because those schools are “not fully accessible” using the local bus network.

The service is non-statutory, meaning the council “does not legally have to provide” it, the council spokesperson said.

Freeze

In August, the council announced it would freeze parental contributions for the autumn, but this is now set to change for the upcoming term in the new year.

If the 5% price increase for sixth-form travel is introduced in January, there will be a “further review” of the changes ahead of the start of the 2025/26 academic year, next September.

The council believes it can save around £30,000 over the next seven months by bringing in the higher parental contributions for the service.

A decision on the proposal is expected to be made on Tuesday December 17.