Parents accuse council of snubbing Catholic children (From Echo)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us »
Parents accuse council of snubbing Catholic children
7:20am Tuesday 16th September 2008 in News By Steve Hackwell
Angry - Catholic schoolchildren and their parents at a bus stop in Long Road, Canvey Buy this photo »
ANGRY parents say their children are being denied free transport to school - because they are Catholics.
Catholic schoolchildren on Canvey rely on transport to the nearest Catholic secondary schools, in Southend and Westcliff, and believe they should be entitled to free travel under Essex County Council’s free rides to school scheme.
The scheme is available for 11 to 15-year-olds who live more than three miles from their local designated school.
But a mum-of-two says she has been left having to pay £660 to send her kids to a Catholic school after county hall bosses said she did not qualify for free travel.
Clare Adams, of Landsburg Road, Canvey, wanted her children to travel for free to either St Thomas More School, in Southend, or St Bernard’s High School, in Westcliff.
She said: “It is outrageous and discriminatory. The council said my nearest designated school was Castle View School, but my children are Catholics.
“I wish to continue their education under the Catholic faith, so to me their designated school is in Southend or Westcliff.”
Emily Banfield, Essex County Council spokeswoman, said the council is not legally obliged to provide transport to denominational schools.
She said: “Essex County Council has decided to provide transport, but asks parents to make a contribution towards the cost."
FULL REPORT IN TUESDAY'S ECHO
Comments(18)
acid_jim
says...
4:24pm Tue 16 Sep 08
'From 1 September 2008, secondary school aged pupils (11 to 16 years old) will be entitled to free school transport if they are from a low income family, and they go to:
any one of their three nearest suitable schools, and the schools are between two and six miles away from their home address
or:
the nearest school preferred by their parents on the grounds of religion or belief, and the school is between two and 15 miles away from their home address.
The extended rights to free transport are part of wider changes introduced under the Education and Inspections Act 2006.’
So the government says it's the childrens right to free transport and the county says they're not legally obliged to provide it.
Can someone please clarify???
evilc
says...
8:50pm Tue 16 Sep 08
Religion create divides mistrust and suspicion which are dangerous and unhealthy for the future.
Plus what the heck are kids travelling 3 to 4 miles to school when they have 3 schools on Canvey this is lunacy that creates global warming!!
nicola 31
says...
9:40pm Tue 16 Sep 08
These children have been used to a Catholic education from their primary schools so why should they not be entitled to carry this on at secondary level?
We all want the best for our children, so if there is the chance to send them to a fantastic school where the results are outstanding with hardly any behavioural issues wouldn't you?
evilc
says...
10:45pm Tue 16 Sep 08
nicola 31 wrote:Simple to answer I know they are excellent schools I know that their achievement levels are very good BUT in reply to your question as to why they should not have the right, is simple it is called segregation and it is not healthy.
St Bernards and St Thomas Moore are excellent schools.These parents have every right to want their children to travel to these schools. The results for GCSE are far higher than the national average (St Bernards was 88% a-c GCSE this year) and the parents know they will get a good education.
These children have been used to a Catholic education from their primary schools so why should they not be entitled to carry this on at secondary level?
We all want the best for our children, so if there is the chance to send them to a fantastic school where the results are outstanding with hardly any behavioural issues wouldn't you?
Children should NOT be segregated because of religion that is exactly what happened in South Africa with race and Northern Ireland with religion and look what happened.
We now have CoE,RC,Jewish,Islami
c,and now Hindu all paid for at public expense.
If you want to segregate your children away from all the other religions then pay privately if you feel that strong, most people that segregate their children allegedly doing what is best for THEIR children must take into consideration that it is not healthy for the entire community long term especially with all the problems we will face in the future due to over immigration results.
Also if as we agree Catholic schools are achieving better results than the other 3 schools on Canvey then WHY? should be asked perhaps we need to improve those schools to make them become equal perhaps remove funding from Religious schools which obviously need less funds as they are doing so well.
Also why should we pay extra money for buse fares when there are schools within walking distance which with extra funding and no segregation could be A1 achieving schools!
buddy1993
says...
6:09am Wed 17 Sep 08
one school on Canvey is shutting down! that tells you something about the education we have here, as a parent of a catholic child we have a right to send them there, especially when it is there denominacional school!!!
the problem we all seem to be missing here is that essex county council have wrote it in there essexworks magazine that we all get through our door!!! and on there website ITS IN BLACK & WHITE!!!!! The council use a bus for the boys school that looks like it wouldnt pass an MOT. there is no cctv,, which we were told there would be!!! on several occasions last year the buss company thought the boys had the day off!! did they supply other transport NO! so as parents we forked out again!! i think the council needs to rethink there actions and realise this is DISCRIMENATION!!!
BABBSIE
says...
9:29am Wed 17 Sep 08
gemturner
says...
10:04am Wed 17 Sep 08
Children to St Thomas More and St Bernards had been getting free travel for years but all of a sudden stopped? Why? Why should we be discriminated just because we want our children to carry on going to a catholic school. We can send them to a catholic infant and junior school so why shouldn't we be aloud to carry on with a catholic senior school.
buddy1993
says...
2:01pm Wed 17 Sep 08
gemturner
says...
2:36pm Wed 17 Sep 08
gemturner
says...
2:45pm Wed 17 Sep 08
Free transport may also be available if your child attends a school you chose on the grounds of religion or belief, provided the school is above a certain distance from your home (usually further than statutory walking distance).
buddy1993
says...
4:51pm Wed 17 Sep 08
nicola 31
says...
9:34pm Wed 17 Sep 08
evilc
says...
6:07pm Thu 18 Sep 08
nicola 31 wrote:It is wrong it is divisive!!!
I am glad to see people in agreement with me. Gemturner summed it up perfectly for me. Our children have the right to a Catholic education. If a child comes from a Catholic background they should have the right to go to their denominational school. I would say the same about any religion because it is part of the childs background. Our children should go to ST Bernards or St Thomas Moore and I think a petition is a very good idea. Dont know if it will work, but it is worth a try!
What would happen if we had every religion in the country asking for their own schools there would be a disaster,who would pay?
And should we as ratepayers pay for a Waco typed group school just because they are entitled to their religion?
Sorry it might be good for YOU but it is not good for ALL!!!!!
If you want segregation PAY FOR IT
YOURSELF!!
Spend the fare funding on schools that need it.
When I was at school we had Jewish and Catholic pupils it was healthy it helped us understand separate schools cause division, or perhaps you do not your precious little darlings sitting next to a non believer?
gemturner
says...
8:03pm Thu 18 Sep 08
buddy1993
says...
6:02am Fri 19 Sep 08
jackson5
says...
3:17pm Fri 19 Sep 08
seems that you do have a problem, not sure with what or are you just an angry person,
how comes they have just opened a hindu school in london and thats funded by the state, i think you will find if i am correct that St bernards school is only part subsidised and the rest is subsidised by the diocese of brentwood so stick that in your pipe and smoke it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
buddy1993
says...
6:34pm Fri 19 Sep 08
Cicero
says...
1:17pm Mon 29 Sep 08
The reason they achieve better is because they have a strong spiritual and faith commintment,as well as teaching tolerance and multi-culturalism. It is not just a lucky co-incidence. It is time secularists faced up to that fact, rather than try to destroy something that is good.
Comment now! Register or sign in below.
Log in with us
Fields marked with * are mandatory.
Or
Log in with