Dear Parent/Carers

We have been informed by the bus companies this week that the start times for the (x2) 656 and (x4) 650 bus services that terminate in the school grounds each morning will be moved earlier, by 5 minutes from Monday 26th February.

As a school we have no control over these services but have in recent months asked TFL and the local bus companies to address the issue of their buses arriving late onsite, which causes numerous issues for us and our students.

For some of our students, they are unable to access the school canteen when they arrive at site late and a growing number of our students are entitled to free breakfasts or rely on this service in order to eat before school starts. In addition to this, when any student arrives at site after 8.40am they are missing key messages that are given out during form time activities, assemblies and for those sitting GCSE exams many have missed the start.

This update of service from Monday 26th February means that the:

• 656 buses will now depart from TESCO Gallows Corner at 7.43 and 7.45am and the

• 650 buses will depart from North Street at 7.46, 7.48, 7.51 and 7.52am.

Can we please ask you to inform your child of this change and encourage them all regardless of their year group to try and catch an earlier bus as we don’t want a situation where students are all waiting in the morning for the last bus on each route and the driver with a full bus has to drive past your child. This, of course would result in students missing the start of the school day and receiving a late mark.

Thank you to those parents / carers who have contacted the school about this matter since September, and we have used your emails as evidence to help build a strong case for action which the bus company are finally taking.