'Bring our bus back': North Coast Campus pupils' plea to Highland Council
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North Sutherland pupils are appealing to Highland Council to reinstate their schools minibus which was removed with no forewarning or explanation at the start of the summer break.
Pupils at the North Coast Campus, which comprises Farr High School and satellite primaries Tongue, Melvich and Farr, have sent pleading letters to the local authority, but to no avail so far.
The lack of a minibus means the youngsters at the campus schools can no longer be brought together or taken to curricular activities during the school day.
Farr Primary School and Nursery Parent Council is campaigning for the minibus to be reinstated, saying its loss has isolated still further the rural pupils who have already suffered through the coronavirus pandemic.
North, West and Central Sutherland councillor Marianne Hutchison is also involved in the issue.
Parent Council secretary and local businesswoman Joanna Mackenzie argues that the North Coast Campus is in more need of a school minibus than school groups in more urban areas because of its remoteness and the lack of public transport.
She said: “I do not think being able to transport our kids to events or to bring them together is a benefit - I would say it is a core part of our provision. Our children are losing out and they have had a hard enough time of it already without isolating them further.”
According to Mrs Mackenzie, a minibus has served the schools ever since she can remember.
As well as transporting children to activities such as swimming and support for learning during the day, the bus served as school transport to take children in the Skerray and Borgie area to and from school.
It was driven by a school janitor, well-known to the pupils. It is understood the janitor has now been told he is being switched to a cleaning role and school transport is being provided by an outside contractor.
Mrs Mackenzie said: “We know it is not a case of too few buses. There are plenty of buses which are sitting doing nothing, yet are still a financial outlay for Highland Council.
"It is costing the local authority £125 a day to pay somebody else to do the school run. So, we are left without a bus and having to pay a fortune to get anywhere, all so the council can cost itself even more money! It is absolute madness!"
In their letter to the authority three pupils, Bella, Emily and Michael, wrote: “We need the bus back because it takes us for trips and if we had no bus how will Tongue or Melvich go swimming? Please, please give us our bus back.”
And Tylar, Harry and Arran wrote: “We strongly believe that hiring a bus and a bus driver is too expensive for a school that has very little money.”
Mollie, Lachlan and Fraser pleaded: “We need our bus back as we live in a small village so we can’t just walk to places like the lifeboats and orienteering. We are writing to you to ask for our bus and our bus driver back.”
A Highland Council spokesman said: “The council has been in contact with the school community to offer potential solutions on this matter and will continue these discussions with the school when they return from their October break."
Responding to the comment, Mrs Mackenzie said: “I don’t know who they mean when they say school community as it is certainly not me.”
