Speaking on the phone last night to my sister, who has recently done a similar ‘town mouse’ move to mine but in France (and with better weather…), she told me about how the parents were holding a sit in at her daughter’s school because they felt the pupil teacher ratio was too high. Even though an official had been sent to explain that there weren’t enough spare teachers to go round, and other schools had a greater need (which my sister, in her non-confrontational/spineless (delete as appropriate) British way thought was fair enough), the parents were having none of it and went ahead and barricaded themselves into a classroom all the same.
This puts the response of Nearest Village to the imminent withdrawal of our school bus into some perspective. The bus is a thorny issue because the school is tiny and the catchment area large, and only four pupils are actually entitled to free transport to school. The others were only allowed to use the bus as a favour because they either lived too far from the school, or too close – anyone over the age of eight being deemed able to walk or cycle three miles to school, or two miles for the younger kids. The four kids who are entitled will get a taxi (you have to wonder at the savings that will provide), the rest will have to hoof it, or – more likely – get driven to school by their parents. Or – even more likely for some of the more far flung ones – move to a school in Bigtown as that’s where their parents will generally be driving anyway.* Now I, personally, obviously think that the answer is for everyone to cycle to school but I’m aware that I’m in a minority of one on that issue. So I, like everyone else in the area, has done the decent British thing and signed a petition against the idea. You can imagine how effective that was. Sometimes I think we could stand to be a little more French…
*And anyone who thinks that that’s exactly the reason the bus service is being withdrawn from the smaller village schools so they’re forced to close down is clearly some sort of a conspiracy theorist. Personally, when it comes to Bigtownshire council, I’m more inclined towards cockup…
We are increasingly hearing that “people rely on their cars”, which is to say that politicians have decided that their policy is to make people rely on their cars by subsidising private cars and removing public transport. Sadly the concept of sustainably just goes over their heads…
A petition. You do wonder whether some British people just don’t want the bother of sticking up for themselves – anything for a quiet life, no matter how rubbish that life ends up being.
Kim – totally – although I’m not sure it’s as deliberate as that on the part of the politicians. Just an inability to see an alternative
Misspiggy – in fairness the village fought very hard against this, including the community council. Just not to the point of direct action – I suppose we simply don’t have a tradition of doing that. Though I might suggest they just hijack the bus …
I was just trying to remember how many pupils we had in the classes I atttended, in Junior and sec, schools, and i cannot recall.
John
Ps What is a community Council? and does it have any formal powers?
I think they’re equivalent to Parish Councils in England.
Ah, but haven’t you told us once about how your buses keep going even when they are not meant to, waiting for old dears and not sticking to the route or timetable? Could something like that be arranged..?
My god, you’re right! Perhaps we could persuade the bus driver to go feral!
And I think that they should all be made cycle. Hah.
I have suggested that now, but the feeling is it’s too dangerous… We do get a number of quarry lorries that come bombing down a couple of the roads they would have to use.