Transport policy statement for students aged 16-19 in further education

Transport policy statement for students aged 16-19 in further education – 2009/10 Academic Year

Background

This policy has been developed to meet the requirements of: -

Section 509 of the Education Act 1996, as amended by Schedule 19 of the Education Act 2002.
Most recent Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Circular providing Transport Support Guidance to local authorities.
LSC Terms and Conditions for Learner Support Funds for students aged 16-19.

This document has been drawn up using contributions from, and in discussion with, a range of partners, as follows: -

Tameside Council’s Inclusive Service and Social Care Service.
Tameside Council’s Student Finance Team.
Representatives from all Tameside colleges and post-16 schools.
Connexions Tameside.
Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council.
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE).
The range of support available to students, as set out in the remaining sections of this document is provided through the partners.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the detail contained in this document, the partners reserve the right to modify the detailed arrangements over the life of this policy. Provision of transport to students is subject to a range of external legislative and economic factors outside the control of the partners. Any changes that are made during the life of this policy will be subject to consultation, as set out in the Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan.

In line with the legislation, this policy is primarily aimed at full-time students aged 16-18 inclusive, with support continuing to the end of the course, where the course started before the student reached the age of 19. In this context, full-time is where the student undertakes at least 12 guided learning hours per week. This definition is used to match that used for the Education Maintenance Allowance.

However, subject to the terms and conditions used by the partners, some of the benefits set out below are also available to part-time students and to students aged 19+. Students should refer to the detail contained in the remainder of this document.

Financial support through the Learner Support Funds and transport funded through the Council’s Services for Children and Young People are exclusively for Tameside residents. All other benefits set out below are available to students studying at post-16 schools and colleges in Tameside, subject to the terms and conditions of each scheme (e.g. UK residence and means-testing requirements).

This policy relates to provision planned for the academic year 2009/10, from September 2009 to August 2010.

Overview of Current Transport Provision

Tameside students are well served by reasonably priced and accessible public transport. Tameside has four rail links through the Borough: -

Mossley – Stalybridge – Ashton-under-Lyne – Manchester Victoria (local service).
Huddersfield - Stalybridge – Manchester Piccadilly (express regional service)
Broadbottom – Hattersley – Hyde (Godley, Newton and Flowery Field) – Audenshaw (Guide Bridge) – Droylsden (Fairfield) – Manchester Piccadilly (local service).
Hyde (Central and North) – Audenshaw (Guide Bridge) - Droylsden (Fairfield) – Manchester Piccadilly (local service).

These routes are convenient for students travelling from the Hattersley, Mottram and Longdendale areas to Audenshaw High School Sixth Form and to the Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form Centre of Tameside College. They also provide a regular service to students wishing to study at colleges in neighbouring areas (e.g. Manchester, Salford and Marple) and at specialist colleges further afield (e.g. Huddersfield).

Ashton Sixth Form College and the Ashton Campus of Tameside College have numerous bus services that stop near to the colleges. Both colleges are also relatively near the centre of Ashton-under-Lyne and accessible on foot from the Town Centre. The same is true for the Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form Centre of Tameside College.

All Saints Catholic College in Dukinfield benefits from being on the same site as the high school. As well as regular public bus services, students benefit from the special bus services that are provided for pre-16 pupils from areas of Tameside not having regular direct public bus services. Special bus services are also provided for students at Audenshaw High School and the Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form Centre.

In addition to rail services, Tameside students wishing to study in neighbouring areas are served by frequent bus services to Manchester, Oldham and Stockport.

The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) offers a range of fare concessions that are available for students. There is also a range of tickets to allow mixed modes of transport, using bus, rail and the Metrolink tram system. Fare concessions are available throughout Greater Manchester, making it possible for students to travel across local authority boundaries to travel to colleges in neighbouring local authority areas.

Through contact with GMPTE , the partnership has stressed the importance of concessionary fare schemes for students. Post-16 schools and colleges will be encouraged to continue to work with GMPTE to get the best deals for their students.

Students with special transport needs are considered a priority for the partners in this policy. The Council funds the provision of taxis for students who need them, in conjunction with Tameside College. Wherever possible, however, efforts are made to provide students with the support they need to travel independently and use the public transport that is available. This is considered an important part of providing young people with the independence they will need after leaving school/college and will continue to be a primary use of the transport partnership funding provided by the LSC during the 2009-10 academic year .

Monitoring and Review

During the life of this statement, the ongoing review and development of the Council’s transport policy for children and young people, including changes to embrace the development of the new Diploma, may mean the incorporation of the 16-19 policy statement into the wider policy. However, for the 2009-10 academic year it has been decided to keep a discrete statement for 16-19 year old learners.

Concessionary Fares operated by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE)

GMPTE “Scholars Concessionary Permit”:

Students attending a full-time course can obtain the “Scholars Concessionary Permit” entitling them to reduced fares from their home to their place of full-time study only, as follows: -

Bus: GMPTE concessionary fare (currently 80p per single journey).
Train: Half fare
Metrolink: Half fare

There is an initial fee of £5 to apply for the permit and an additional fee of £5 for replacing a lost permit.

Application forms are available from most post-16 schools and colleges in Greater Manchester and all staffed Bus Stations. Tameside College usually have GMPTE staff available at course enrolment to help to issue the permit.

System 1 Travel Cards: Student Bus Saver Card

Students can obtain one of these cards to entitle them to unlimited travel on any bus throughout Greater Manchester. Currently, the costs are: -

Weekly Card (Bus Saver 7): £12.75*
Monthly Card (Bus Saver 28): £ 45.00*
Annual Card (Bus Saver Annual): £ 470.00*

* This refers to those buses operating in the System 1 Travel Network

Users must hold a Young Persons Travel Club Membership Card. You can join the travel club at any GMPTE Travelshop. Membership is free.

System 1 Travel: Bus and Train County Cards

As for the Bus card, but more expensive to allow unlimited travel on Bus, train and City zone Metrolink, as follows: -

Weekly Card (County Card 7): £ 28.60
Monthly Card (County Card one month): £ 90.00*

Annual Card (County Card Annual): £ 900.00*

*This refers to those buses operating in the System 1 Travel Network.

Available to holders of System 1 travel Club Membership Cards, Saver Travel Clubs or Rail Photocards,

Other Concessionary fares and Financial Help with Travel Costs

Stagecoach Bus Company Unirider Ticket: details of current tickets and offers on Stagecoach Group buses in Greater Manchester can be obtained from their website: http://www.stagecoachbus.com/manchester/
First Group Student Tickets: details of current tickets and offers on First Group buses in Greater Manchester can be obtained from their website: http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/northwest/manchester/home/
Tameside Post-16 Schools and Colleges consider applications for additional financial support from their Learner Support Fund or College Hardship Fund, in cases where: -
- Students are required to make several bus journeys to reach school/college, because of where they live.
- Students are in financial difficulty, but are ineligible for the Education Maintenance Allowance (e.g. Asylum Seekers).
- Students have a short-term medical condition requiring special transport arrangements.

Some Special Bus Services are provided for residents to travel to Tameside post-16 schools and colleges from certain parts of the Tameside MBC area. These are under constant review; please refer to the GMPTE web site for up-to-date information.

GMPTE Scholars Permit

Available for travel to and from school/college only on Monday to Friday before 6pm.

System 1 Travel Cards

No restrictions. It allows unlimited travel throughout Greater Manchester using all buses (and trains/Metrolink for County Card Holders). Available at any time of day or night (where services permit), both during the week and at weekends.

All tickets in the System 1 Student Travel Card range are available to full time students aged between 16-26 years old. Possession of a full time student card is required to obtain a ticket.
The County Card is available to people of all ages.

Assessment for eligibility for support

GMPTE Concessionary Fares

No income assessment is used for GMPTE student travel concessions. The only evidence required is likely to be proof of age and/or evidence of enrolment on a full-time course.

Additional Support from School and College Learner Support Funds/Hardship Funds

Income assessments may vary from college to college. Students should enquire at the school/college they wish to attend.

Provision for pupils with disabilities and/or learning difficulties

Tameside Council makes special provision for Tameside residents with disabilities and/or learning difficulties. This is set out in detail as part of the wider Services for Children and Young People Transport Policy. In summary, current provision is as follows: -

For students in the 16-21 age group, the Council’s Inclusive Services consider funding special transport that may be required for those students with disabilities or learning difficulties.
Tameside College identifies students in need of special provision in liaison with Inclusive Services, make arrangements for the transport, and recharge the cost to Inclusive Services. Important: students who are assessed as potentially capable of independent travel are provided with mobility or independence training to assist them to benefit from the free travel available.
Students with special educational needs, who are educated in other Tameside post-16 institutions, or outside Tameside, may be provided with transport organised directly by Inclusive Services. This varies from the provision of escorted rail travel for students educated in residential establishments, to the provision of taxis for students attending colleges in neighbouring authorities, where the specific course could not be offered in Tameside. An assessment is made, based on the needs of the individual. Students are encouraged to be independent and use public transport, where they are assessed as potentially capable of independent travel.

For further information, students can make contact with Student Services at Tameside College or contact the Council’s Inclusive Services. See Section 11 for contact details.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) offer the following services: -

All disabled people can travel for free between 9.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and bank holidays, on local buses anywhere in England as part of the National Concessionary Bus Travel arrangements introduced in April 2008. For residents of Greater Manchester, this is extended to travel on trains, and Metrolink trams in Greater Manchester. If you qualify GMPTE will give you a concessionary travel permit.
Some disabled people can travel for free at all times. If you qualify, GMPTE will give you a “Concession Plus” pass.
If you are registered blind or have serious walking difficulties and cannot use ordinary buses, you may be able to get travel vouchers. You can use these to pay for taxis and door-to-door services, like Ring and Ride and Local Link.
To apply for a free travel pass, write to or phone GMPTE for an application form at:

Travel ConcessionsGMPTE
PO Box 429
Manchester
M60 1HX.
Phone: 0161 244 1050

More Information: To ask for this information in other formats, such as in large print, in Braille, on audio tape, on CD and in other languages, please phone 0871 200 22 33 between 8am and 8pm (calls cost 10p per minute from landlines).

College Learner Support Funds

Students normally cannot apply for support from the general College Learner Support Fund until they have enrolled on a course at the college.

GMPTE Bus Cards

For the Bus Card or County Card, students should apply for travel club membership a couple of weeks prior to starting college at their local Bus Station. Once the club card has been issued, weekly, monthly or annual tickets can be purchased as required from their local GMPTE Travel Office or Post Office.

In those colleges acting as agents for selling these tickets, there should be information included with the induction pack supplied by the college.

Help for students who need to travel to a course outside Tameside

GMPTE Bus Cards and Permits are available to all students for travel throughout Greater Manchester. A detailed map of routes covered is contained in leaflets available from GMPTE or on their website: www.gmpte.gov.uk/
Specialist Courses outside Greater Manchester are likely to be better served by students attending as “resident” students (e.g. Residential Agricultural Colleges). Such specialist colleges are able to offer a greater level of support from their Learner Support Funds, or through the system of Residential Learner Support Funds run in conjunction with the Learning and Skills Council.

Help for students who attend a further education institution, which is beyond daily travelling distance

Residential Support Grant: is available at 51 specialist colleges. The scheme is funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and provides support to help with residential costs, depending on where the college is situated and the level of parental income. Further information is available from the Department for Education and Skills website: http://moneytolearn.direct.gov.uk
Special Educational Needs: students with special educational needs who have been recommended to study at a residential establishment can be provided with escorted rail travel at the start and end of each term if this is necessary. Further details contained in Section 6.
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA): Students aged 16-19 can apply for EMA to help with the costs of learning. Support is based on the level of household income. Further information is available from the Department for Education and Skills website: http://moneytolearn.direct.gov.uk/