Transport

School Buses

Saint Aidan’s is served by a number of dedicated school buses which transport students to and from their home areas. In addition to the Over Wyre villages, there are buses from Poulton, Carleton, Thornton-Cleveleys, Fleetwood, Garstang, Great Eccleston and Galgate. These services are managed by Lancashire County Council.

Your child will be entitled to a free bus pass if they live more than three miles from the school and Saint Aidan’s is their closest secondary school. Season tickets are available for all other children to travel; these can be paid for in instalments. If your child is entitled to free school meals they are entitled to a free bus pass if they live between two and six miles from school and Saint Aidan’s is one of the three closest secondary schools.

Bus timetables and details of how to apply for a season ticket are available from the school. Full details on everything connected to Lancashire’s school bus services can be found on the Lancashire County Council website at School transport – Lancashire County Council.

Service buses

Saint Aidan’s is served by a number of public bus services. The 5c service which runs from Blackpool via Poulton to Knott End has a stop very close to the school and is popular with students, including those attending after school activities. This regular service is run by Blackpool Transport – more details are at Blackpool Transport – Enjoyable Travel Along the Fylde Coast. The 88 and 89 services from Knott End to Lancaster, operated on behalf of Lancashire County Council, can on occasion be useful to children attending after school activities.

Walking

Students who live nearby and have a safe walking route to school are encouraged to use it. Care needs to be taken as some of the rural roads near the school have no footpaths. Walking on these roads is not encouraged.

Cycling

The school has a locked bicycle compound available for student use. Students who cycle to school should wear a cycle helmet while cycling and should follow the highway code at all times.

Private Cars

You may wish to drop your child off or collect your child near school and are welcome to do so. Please note that the roads near the school are narrow and are very busy at the beginning and end of school. Parents are encouraged to drop students off a short distance from school and allow them to walk the last part of the journey, to avoid overcrowding.

Please be considerate to our neighbours and avoid parking across driveways. Parents must not drive onto the school site at the beginning of the school day or park on the yellow zigzags outside school. Doing this puts children’s lives at risk.

Transport Assistance Scheme

The cost of bus transport to and from school is significant, in particular for those students travelling longer distances. In light of this Saint Aidan’s has introduced a scheme which aims to help families, who are experiencing financial hardship, meet some of these costs.

The Transport Assistance Fund is limited but the school Governors wish to help as many families as possible. Therefore grants are made to successful applicants but families will still need to find a significant sum.

The main criteria for a successful application is limited household income – low salary/wage or receipt of benefits.

The scheme runs annually and parents/carers will have to apply each year. Applications will normally be made around May/June with the aim of grants being paid to successful applicants in September.

You will find more details of the scheme on the application form which is available for download below.