An Alsager school has urged parents to write to their MP over Cheshire East Council’s decision to axe a free school bus service.
Children living in Rode Heath will now face walking up to three miles – more than an hour each way – to school and back every day, in all weather and at all times of year.
Parents received an email last week that said the walking route to Alsager High School was now within the “statutory walking distance” for pupils living in the village; that distance is two miles for under-eights and three miles for those aged eight and over.
The letter said: “Following recent safety improvements, the council has assessed your child’s route to school as an available walking route. The free home-to-school transport for your child will end on 31st July.”
Nadia MacDonald said her two children, Nancy in year seven and Aaron in year 10, used the free bus every day and she was not aware of any new safety improvements along the route, other than a small island crossing on a busy stretch of the A50.
She said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous, I don’t see how they see it as safe now. In the winter, it will be dark; it is a huge safety issue. When the M6 is closed, that road becomes gridlocked with lorries.”
She explained that in places along the route, the road was so narrow that children could barely walk single-file without stepping onto the road.
She said: “As an adult, I wouldn’t want to walk to Alsager and back every day in the rain, snow and blazing sun. If children were to walk in that heatwave we had last week, they could get heat stroke!
“My children suffer dreadfully with hay fever. In the summer, they can’t even play outside because it’s horrendous, even with medication.”
Mrs MacDonald also worried about the increased traffic around Lodge Road and Dunnocksfold Road, if more parents used their cars to drop off and pick up their children.
She said: “On the very rare occasion that I’ve gone to pick them up, I’ve instantly regretted it because it’s been absolute chaos.
“It comes down to cost-cutting at children’s expense. I don’t know what I’m going to do if the council doesn’t reverse this decision; it’s bonkers.”
Mrs MacDonald said she had appealed to Cheshire East and planned to contact MP Sarah Russell.
Complain
Father of two Andrew Rushton said he also planned to complain to Cheshire East.
He said: “One of my daughters is at Rode Heath Primary and about to start at the high school in September with her sister.
“She’s very active, she plays football and has dance classes, but a three-mile walk to school in the morning is too much.
“I understand that it’s our responsibility to get them to school, but we are working parents – we don’t have time to walk our children a five-mile round trip to school twice a day.” In an email to parents on Friday, Alsager High School headteacher Andrea O’Neill shared a copy of a letter she had sent to MP Sarah Russell and urged them to raise their own concerns.
The letter to Mrs Russell said: “We are extremely unhappy about this change and feel that it fails to reflect the practical realities and safety concerns faced by families on this route.”
Mrs O’Neill argued that although the route may now have been assessed as technically walkable, the journey to school remained a “considerable distance” for pupils to travel on foot each day.
She said: “It is not simply a matter of mileage on paper; in practice, this is a long and demanding walk for children before and after a full school day.
“Many pupils will need to leave home significantly earlier in the morning in order to arrive on time, which will inevitably have a negative impact on punctuality, attendance and overall well-being.”
Mrs O’Neill said she also had “serious concerns” over the safety of the route, including the busy A50 and narrow pavements in adverse weather conditions.
She said: “Families are understandably anxious about asking children to make this journey on foot.
“We are also very concerned by the lack of meaningful consultation before this decision was made.
“A change of this significance, which affects the daily safety and routine of so many children and families, should not be implemented without proper engagement with those directly affected.”
She asked Mrs Russell to raise the matter “urgently” with Cheshire East Council.
Mrs Russell, Alsager High School and Cheshire East Council were asked to comment.
(Photo: Google Earth).
