The School Minibus

Minibus Bookings

1. 1. All bookings are to be made via the online booking form and include a consent statement to be agreed to by parents or guardians in advance of them using the bus. This includes ad-hoc journeys.
   2. Minibus bookings are made for one whole school year (September – July). Bookings can be cancelled or made (subject to availability) partway through the year for the remainder of the year. The fee for the booking is payable in instalments every half term (6 payments a year). Non-paid minibus fees will result in the suspension of your child’s booking for the service.
   3. The following order of preference for bookings will apply.
      1. Full week bookings over bookings for certain days.
      2. Returns over singles.
      3. Existing users from the previous term.
   4. Costs of bookings
      • £3.75 per trip, per child
   5. Please contact the Minibus Driver directly in the event of last-minute changes - the driver’s telephone number is 07593539878.   
   6. To check the availability of spaces, please contact the school office on 01425 472664 or email minibus@ringwoodwaldorfschool.org.uk
   7. No refunds will be offered where individual trips are not taken within a booking, eg, where a child misses the bus, goes home by alternative means or is unwell. For longer periods of absence please contact the office to discuss.

2. Pickup and Drop-off

   1. Safe Pickup and Drop-off. In the mornings please can parents ensure that their children are safely on the minibus and strapped in. In the afternoon, we ask the children to wait by the gate leading to the car park and the driver will safely escort them from there to the minibus.
   2. Current pick up and drop off locations and timings are available on the school website or school office. Please note these may be subject to change.
   3. Children must be handed over/picked up in person by the parent or guardian to the minibus driver.  Parent’s must state if a child can be left to catch the bus or dropped off to walk home by themselves, via the online booking form.
   4. Pickups. The child must be at the pickup point at the designated time. If practical, the driver will wait a maximum of 5 minutes after the designated time but will leave by then and maybe obliged to leave earlier than that. If the child misses the bus, parents must deliver him/her to school.
   5. Drop-offs. Parents must be at the collection point on the return journey at the advertised time and wait for the arrival of the minibus.  The bus will not necessarily be able to wait beyond that time as it must meet its scheduled timetable. When a parent is not there for a drop off the collection, the driver will, as soon as he conveniently can, attempt to contact the parent to arrange an alternative; otherwise, the child will be kept on the bus and eventually returned to the school for collection by parents. We reserve the right to make an extra charge for his where it involves an extra journey by the driver.

3. Minibus Behaviour Rules

   1. Children are required to be quiet and well behaved on the bus, to use the seat belts and comply with any instruction given to them by the driver. In particular, failure to keep seat belts on is a serious safety issue and removal of the seatbelt before the end of the journey will not be tolerated.
   2. Normal school behaviour rules apply in the minibus (see school Behaviour Policy). In particular, please note that the no mobile phones policy does apply on the bus; and no food is permitted to be eaten during the journey.
   3. Failure to comply with Minibus Behaviour Rules or the School Behaviour Policy will result in the child being prohibited from further use of the service. There will be no refund of fee if a child is prohibited from using the bus for misbehaviour.

4. Communication

   1. Parents who deliver/collect children must provide the school of their mobile phone number so that a text can be sent to advise of any significant delay or cancellation. Similarly, if the bus is delayed in the afternoons, the driver will advise the parents appropriately.
   2. The driver’s mobile phone number is 07593539878 and will not be in use while driving.

5. Younger Children

   1. The minimum age to travel independently on the Minibus is Class One age i.e. age 6.  *However, children no younger than 5 years old may travel on the Minibus if accompanied by an older sibling.  It is important to note that there is no additional supervision during the  journey other than the driver. It is therefore crucial that all children on the bus are able to manage during this time. For this reason, *younger children’s bookings will be on a case-by-case basis taking into account the view of their Teacher. 
   2. Kindergarten Children (only if accompanied by older sibling/s - see above) After seeing the older children safely off the minibus in the mornings, the minibus driver will escort the Kindergarten children to their Kindergarten. If your child will be taking the minibus home after being in Kindergarten afternoon sessions, please inform the Kindergarten Teacher in writing that Ian will pick them up and take them to the minibus. 
   3. Car/Booster Seats.  For children requiring car/booster seats, please bring your child’s seat clearly labelled with their name. The car seat can stay on the minibus if your child will take it home again in the afternoon but if not, it will be left in the First Aid room for parents to pick up later. If you are dropping in your child and they will take the minibus home in the afternoon, please leave the car seat in the First Aid room for use later on.

6. Minibus Stops

   1. Pickup times:
      • 7.30 a.m. Westbourne stop: Queens Road car park BH2 6BE
      • 7.45 a.m. Southbourne stop: Woodside Road car park BH5 2BA
      • 8.00 a.m. Cooper Dean stop: Leydene Avenue BH8 9JG, opposite Leydene Close
      • 8.20 a.m. arrive at school
   2. Drop-off times (approximate):
      • 3.50/55 p.m. Cooper Dean stop
      • 4.00/10 p.m. Southbourne stop
      • 4.20/30 p.m. Westbourne stop