Buses and Transport To School
Buses
Dorset Council (DC) run the bus services from our catchment areas. Parents whose children need to use the school buses will receive detailed information from Dorset Council about these services but this information can also be obtained from the school office. The detailed routes and times for these routes can be found here.
Courteous and considerate behaviour on buses is expected from all pupils.
Parents’ help to ensure this is appreciated. The school reserves the right to ban students who misbehave, from travelling on a school bus, and will be supported by the LA. All buses normally arrive at our School Car Park at about 8.20am and leave from the same location 10 minutes after the end of the afternoon session.
Ferndown Upper School – Dorset Council routes
To determine if your child is entitled to free transport, or to find out how to apply and pay for a bus pass call Dorset Council on 01202 224545 or visit the DC website.
Please note that 6th form students do not have an automatic entitlement to transport on the Dorset Council buses. Passes are usually available but in most cases, there will be a charge (a transport bursary is available – please see above). Applications for September passes must be made to DCC between May 1st and May 31st. Any applications made after this date will not normally be processed until October half term. For more information please refer to the Dorset Council Website here.
Late Bus
Late minibus to Verwood, Three legged Cross, West Moors and St. Ives. This is a free service, run on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
It is run using a minibus so places are limited to only 16 students. Students should sign up in the Reception in advance for the trip they require, as a seat cannot be guaranteed otherwise. If a student forgets to sign up, they may still be able to get a place but of course, the bus may be full if they leave it to the last minute.
The Late Bus currently leaves at 16:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday unless there are PE clubs where it leaves at 16:10.
Transport Bursary
A transport bursary of £300 per student is available to help with transport to school, whether that be towards a bus pass, or costs of travel. The bursary is available for any Year 12 student that lives more than 3 miles away from the school.
In order to apply please complete this eligibility checker (as we need to check if you qualify for more bursaries) https://forms.office.com/e/E8grsYWG71 and our travel bursary request form: https://forms.office.com/e/6F5gLSEzYv
Please note, travel bursary payments will be made in late November/early December.
Disruption to Services
If a school bus fails to turn up on time in the morning, one student should use their mobile phone to ring the school (01202 871243) or the relevant bus company for information and advice. If a bus fails to turn up after school, we will make every effort to get students home.
For live information on any disruptions to services, use this link which will give the latest information: