Where a child attends a school where the religious education provided is that of the religion or denomination to which the pupil adheres, the council will count this school as the nearest appropriate where:

• it is over the statutory walking distance;
• it is geographically nearest to the home address in Medway;
• the pupil is of the same denomination as the school concerned: this must be verified by certification from the appropriate church authority that the pupil is a regularly-practising member of a church of the same denomination as the school concerned.

Once a child continues their education into Year 12, the council will no longer subsidise the cost of travel passes or provide free travel for students. Students in Years 12 and 13 can apply for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). The EMA is a weekly payment worth up to £30 to cover day-to-day costs, such as travel, books and equipment. Further details about the EMA and application forms are available from all schools and colleges. Further information can be found at http://ema.direct.gov.uk/ema.html.

Although the council does not provide free travel passes or subsidies, eligible students can still apply for a pass, which is charged at cost.

The costs of both bus and rail passes are published each year on this website.

Medway Council works with the Medway post-16 transport partnership of schools, colleges and other organisations to plan and deliver travel arrangements for post-16 students.

Transport policy statement for 2009/10

Name of Local Authority: Medway Council

Department responsible: School Transport and Benefits Team, Children and Adult Services Directorate

1. What is the council's overall policy?

This statement sets out the support available for Medway students aged 16 to 19 travelling to school or college.

If you live in Medway and study at a college or sixth form, you may be able to take advantage of the travel assistance offered. Medway Council does not, in general, subsidise travel for post-16 students but will pass on to students any benefits from its bulk purchasing power.

If you are not eligible for transport assistance, you can find out what public transport schemes are available.

If you live outside Medway but in the Kent County Council (KCC) area, you should approach your school or college, phone KCC’s Transport Team on 01622 696565 or email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk.

Medway Council works with the Medway Post-16 Transport Partnership of schools, colleges and other organisations to plan and deliver travel arrangements for post-16 students.

This policy explains the help available from Medway Council and gives details of other useful sources of information. If your financial circumstances prevent you getting to your place of study and you cannot find the help you need in this policy, please phone Medway Council Transport and Benefits team on the number at the foot of this page.

2. What travel assistance is available and where from?

If you are a student aged 16 to 19 years living in Medway and studying at a school or college, you are eligible to buy a termly or annual ticket through Medway Council’s bulk purchase arrangements.

The council can provide a travel pass to enable you to travel to your school or college at a flat rate termly or annual charge. The charges for 2009/10 are, for bus travel, point-to-point:

• termly - £188;
• annual - £564.

The rail company provides Medway Council with a reduction to the standard adult fare and this discount is passed on to students. Last year this reflected a 34 per cent discount. Negotiations are still continuing on prices for September 2009/10, however. Once confirmed, these prices will be available on this website.

Because the council bulk-purchases these travel passes, they can be good value, depending on what it would cost you to purchase one directly. However, the council does not subsidise the cost and therefore you should check first to see if it is cheaper for you to buy an ordinary bus pass or railcard direct from the appropriate transport operator. Find out what public transport schemes are available.

What are the times of travel?
The point-to-point bus pass allows travel for one return journey up to 6pm each weekday during term time only. The Rover (flexible) bus pass would allow unlimited travel on the selected day until 6pm throughout the Arriva network of services in Medway and Kent.

How do I apply?
Contact your school or college or phone the Medway Transport and Benefits Team on the number at the foot of this page from 1 June 2009. Your pass will be available within four weeks of the date you apply for it.

Will support continue to be made available if I reach the age of 19 years while continuing on a course?
Yes.

What help can you provide me as a student with learning difficulties and/or disabilities?
You can receive support up to the age of 19. If you are between the ages of 19 and 25, the couuncil will consider requests for transport support. You or your parents are expected to make a flat rate contribution equivalent to the cost of a point-to-point bus pass. Applications should be made to the Medway Council Transport and Benefits Team. Find out about bus passes for people with disabilities.

Do you provide mobility or independence training for students who face experience difficulties in travelling?
Some schools offer mobility and independence training. Please contact the particular school directly for details.

How will learners be assessed to see if they are eligible for support?
Free transport is only available from the council to learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Special rates on public transport are available as explained in this policy.

What help is available if I attend a further education institution which is beyond daily travelling distance and I need to stay away?
If you are in this situation, please apply for the Learner Support Fund, through the Transport and Benefits Team.

What if I have to go to a different school or college for some of my course for part of the week?
If you need to go to a different school or college to receive part of your course during the week and you have purchased a termly or annual bus pass to your normal school or college through Medway Council, you can buy a Rover pass for the days concerned.

The Rover pass costs an additional £50 per two terms (for the six terms in the full year, the cost is £149) for one day a week. This will entitle you to unlimited travel up to 6pm on the days in question throughout the Arriva network of services in Medway and Kent and on other companies’ services where the timetable shows that they operate under contract to Medway Council.

If you have not purchased a termly or annual pass through Medway but nevertheless need to travel to a different school or college for part of the week, you can buy a Rover pass for the appropriate number of days as follows:

This will entitle you to unlimited travel up to 6pm on the days in question throughout the Arriva network of services in Medway and Kent and on other companies’ services where the timetable shows that they operate under contract to Medway Council.

What help can you apply for if you need to travel to a course that is beyond the Medway area?
If the course you wish to study is not available within the Medway area, you will be entitled to purchase a travel pass to the nearest appropriate institution providing the course concerned, at the rates outlined under the section of this policy headed what travel assistance is available and where from?

If you choose to study at a school or college outside Medway, when the course concerned is available within Medway, you might not be able to take advantage of a travel pass at the Medway bulk purchase rates.

What are Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and how can I apply?
You may be entitled to an EMA, depending on your parents’/guardians income, or your income if you no longer live at home. If you qualify, the EMA will be paid directly to you to help with your study and transport costs. EMAs are payable for up to three years. You can obtain further information at http://ema.direct.gov.uk/ema.html.

You can get guidance on how to apply from:

• your school or college;
• your Connexions Personal Adviser;
• the EMA website (above);
• the EMA student helpline - phone free on 0808 101 6219.

Half-price bus fare scheme
This scheme entitles students in full time education, up to the age of 18 or until the end of Year 13, whichever is sooner, to travel to or from their school or college by bus at child fare (half the adult fare) up to 6pm Monday to Friday. The pass is not valid on the subsidised yellow buses run by the council or companies that already offer a child fare.

To qualify, students must live in Medway and travel to any school or college within Medway or Kent (as long as all changes of bus are within Medway).

Application forms and further information are available on this website, from your school or college or by contacting Medway Council’s Transport and Benefits Team.

Travel assistance from MidKent College
Mid-Kent College may provide travel permits if you do not qualify for support from Medway Council or the Medway Post-16 Transport Partnership.

To qualify, you must:

• live more than three miles from the college campus by the nearest available walking route;
• be aged 19 years or older at the start of the course.

Discretionary Support Fund application forms are available from Student Finance at the Maidstone Campus (phone 01622 691555) or the Medway Campus (phone 01634 830633).

North West Kent College (NWK)
Students aged 16 to 18 years at the start of their course should apply in the first instance to their Local Authority for cost price travel at least four weeks before the start of the course to receive their pass for the beginning of the autumn term.

The college cannot provide any direct financial assistance to students aged 16-18 for travel costs.

The college does provide a free minibus services from the centre of Dartford and Leyton Cross on Dartford Heath to the Dartford Campus. This is available to all students irrespective of age.

Support for travel costs for students aged 19 years and older is available from the College Learner Support Fund for those who meet the eligibility criteria.

Any student who is enrolled on or offered a full-time or substantial part-time course (two hours or more per week for a full academic year) can apply.

Normally, assistance consists of a contribution towards the cost of travel to and from college by the cheapest and most direct form of public transport available. However, funding for other means of transport, such as private car or motorcycle, will be considered if public transport is either unavailable or inappropriate. For those students who are unable to travel independently, consideration will be given towards support for escorted travel. Each case will be assessed on its merits and will depend on the funding available.

Application forms for the NWK College Learner Support Fund are available to any offered or enrolled student from the student advisers or reception desks at each of the main college sites at Dartford and Gravesend. When applying, students may be asked to provide evidence of their income and benefit status. Failure to do so will delay the assessment.

Travel funding is assessed on the basis that:

• the student is eligible for examination fee remission or on low income;
• the student lives more than three miles from the college site at which their course is based;
• travel support is not awarded to those studying part-time courses.

The amounts awarded will depend on the total available within the Learner Support Fund for the year and the number of eligible applications received.

Any student whose application is rejected can appeal to the Director of Student Services, stating why they should be considered exceptionally and advising of any material facts or changes in circumstances not included in their original application. The director's decision is final.

University for the Creative Arts (UCA)
Students requiring assistance with their travel costs should phone the Student Advice Centre on 01634 888644 or email adviceroch@ucreative.ac.uk to find out if they may be eligible for assistance.

Travel assistance through school and college consortia
The Chatham, North Medway and Rochester and Walderslade school and college consortia offer free transport where appropriate to students studying courses at another institution as part of each consortium’s collaborative offer. Visit www.yourchoiceinmedway.org.uk.

• Times of travel:
  Normally to and from your school to the school or college providing the course at the appropriate times. To qualify, you must live in Medway and attend a Medway Partnership School or College in the relevant consortium.
• How do I apply?
  There is no need to apply – the transport is normally provided as part of the collaborative course concerned but check beforehand with the school or college that free transport is available for that particular course.

Yellow bus scheme
The Yellow Bus Scheme is a service operated by Medway Council in association with various bus companies, including Nu-Venture and Manns Travel. The aim is to provide a safe, enjoyable journey to and from school. It is aimed at encouraging children and young people to use the bus to travel to school and relieves their parent or carer of the inconvenience of arranging daily transport for their child.

The buses serve schools in different areas across Medway, including:

• two buses from Lordswood running to Greenacre School, Walderslade Girls School, Chatham Grammar School for Boys and Chatham South School;
• one bus from the Gillingham area to Rainham Mark Grammar School, Rainham School for Girls and The Howard School;
• one bus from Hempstead to Chatham Grammar School for Girls;
• three buses from Hempstead, Wigmore and Parkwood to Rainham Mark Grammar School.

These routes have been chosen according to where the majority of pupils or students live, within a two to three mile radius of the school. An additional journey will be run to allow those staying after school for clubs, sports etc. to get home later in the afternoon. The bus will stop at the nearest, safe agreed spot to your home, not just existing bus stops.

All tickets are available through Medway Council. The prices are:

• £36 for one term,
• £70 for two terms,
• £200 for the whole school year.

Further information is available from Medway Council’s Transport Procurement Team (phone 01634 331112). These services are proving very popular and in many cases there is a waiting list for people wanting to join the service.

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3. What public transport schemes are available?

16–25 Railcard
If you are aged 16 to 25 years (or 26 years or more and are in full-time education) you are eligible for a 16–25 rail card, enabling you to have one third off most rail travel anywhere in the UK for a whole year. The card is available for use anytime at weekends, bank holidays or during the week. The only restriction is that, if you travel at or before 10am Monday to Friday (except during July and August), a minimum fare will apply.

An application form and more information is available from manned stations on the South Eastern Railway or by visiting www.16-25railcard.co.uk.

Bus passes for people with disabilities
These passes are only available if you are a Medway resident and are available for people of all ages with learning and or physical disabilities as defined in the Transport Act 2000. They are issued free of charge but can only be used during off-peak periods and are not available before 9am. Applications can be left at any of the council’s contact points or sent by post. The passes will be sent out by post five to seven working days after the application is accepted.

Citizen Card
Medway Council also promotes the use of the Citizen Card; which confirms your age and allows you to get discounts on many services. The card offers half price bus travel for 16 and 17-year-olds at the following times:

• Monday to Friday after 6pm,
• All day Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.

Your journey must start or finish in Medway. Special shopping and seaside services are excluded but the card is valid on all services run by Arriva and the other bus companies serving Medway.

For further information visit www.citizencard.com or write to:

CitizenCard
6 Leeward House
Square Rigger Row
Plantation Wharf
London SW11 3TX

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4. Other useful contact information

• School and college transport information with detailed maps and lists of bus services are available at www.16-19travel.info.
• Department for Children, Schools and Families website: www.dcsf.gov.uk.
• For bus and coach information use www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk, www.transportdirect.co.uk or phone Traveline on 0871 200 2233.
• For trains use the Southeastern website (www.southeasternrailway.co.uk) or UK Railways on the Net (www.rail.co.uk). Both these sites give information about service disruptions. You can also get information from National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950.
• Canterbury College
  Phone the Learner Support Fund on 01227 811197 or visit www.cant-col.ac.uk.
• Hadlow College
  Write to:
  Hadlow College
  Tonbridge
  Kent TN11 0AL
  phone 0500 551 434 or email enquiries@hadlow.ac.uk.
• Sheppey College
  Write to:
  Claire Telford
  Sheppey College
  Bridge Road
  Sheerness
  Kent ME12 1HL
  phone 01795 58250, email c.telford@cant-ac.uk or visit www.cant-col.ac.uk/about-canterbury-college/sheppey-college.
• South Kent College
  All its sites – Dover, Folkestone, Jemmett Road, South Ashford and the Ashford School of Art and Design - promote assistance with travel. Phone Folkestone on 01303 858240, Dover on 01304 244338 or Ashford on 01233 655580.
• Thanet College
  Phone Thanet College Welfare Team on 01483 605048 or visit www.thanet.ac.uk.
• West Kent College
  For general student advice and guidance, phone Student Services on 01732 358101 or visit www.wkc.ac.uk.
  
  

Last updated 22 June 2009.