Breakthrough in Bower school buses wrangle
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CAMPAIGNERS who opposed a controversial plan to make pupils from Bower pay almost £100 a month to travel to Thurso High School have won a partial victory.
Highland Council has now agreed that S2 to S6 pupils who want to go to Thurso rather than Wick High will be allowed to travel free after the summer holidays – but S1 youngsters will have to pay £10 a week.
Landward Caithness councillor Robert Coghill, who highlighted the problem earlier this year, said agreement was reached following a meeting with councillors and officials in Wick on Friday.
He acknowledged S1 pupils are between "a rock and a hard place" but felt progress has been made on an issue which was widely opposed and described as illogical.
Mr Coghill said that while Bower School is in the Wick High catchment area, around 50 per cent of youngsters in the area choose to go to Thurso High and were expected to pay their transport costs.
But he explained most pupils from the Bower area who want to go to Thurso High will be able to travel free to the school after the summer holidays.
Under the previous proposal, youngsters over 16 would have had to pay £94.50 a month while those under 16 would have had to pay a monthly bill of £51.30.
Mr Coghill wanted Bower Primary to be a dual catchment area – meaning pupils would be entitled to make the choice to attend either of the county’s two high schools and retain the right to free transport to school. However, he withdrew his motion as he realised he would not get sufficient backing for the move. Instead, he and other local councillors arranged a meeting with Alastair Fraser, chairman of the education, culture and sport committee, and Ron Mackenzie, head of support services, to try and find "a negotiated settlement." Mr Fraser and Mr Mackenzie took part by a video conferencing link.
Speaking to the Caithness Courier after the meeting, Mr Coghill felt progress has been made on the issue although he accepted that parents of S1 pupils may not be happy with the deal.
"We have fought hard to try and get this matter resolved. I think we have come a long way compared to where we were although parents of S1 pupils will be disappointed. We may have to work on that one as these youngsters are between a rock and a hard place but that is what is on the table at the moment," he said.
The councillor also pointed out the S1 youngsters will be paying £10 a week for transport to Thurso High School and not the £51.30 a month originally proposed.
Mr Coghill said Bower is about the same distance from Thurso and Wick but under the original proposal a pupil would have to pay for transport to go to Thurso High but get free to Wick High school – a situation he described as "illogical."
Mr Coghill said the problems emerged after the council re-tendered its transport contracts, which, he argued, were drawn up to save money. Around 17 pupils from the Bower area attend Thurso High school.
A spokeswoman for Highland Council said a letter is to be sent out to parents clarifying the school catchment areas and detailing what has been agreed.
She said the changes were agreed due to "historical arrangements" regarding school transport and "mixed messages" about the actual school catchment areas of Wick High School and Thurso High School.
"During this transition period existing S2 to S6 pupils travelling from the Watten or Bower areas to Thurso High School will have their transport costs met by the council. This arrangement will continue for as long as the existing S2-6 pupils attend Thurso High School," said the spokeswoman.
"Parents of S1 pupils will be responsible for paying for the weekly season ticket to Thurso High themselves or they can elect to send their children to Wick High for which free school transport would be provided."
