An 11 year-old girl due to start secondary next month can't go to the school she wants because the local council won’t pay for her transport, say her parents. Samia Shearman attends a Catholic primary in Abergavenny and has a place at the feeder Catholic secondary, but it is 18 miles from her home.
As practising Catholics Matthew and Feodora Shearman want their daughter to continue her religious education. They say it’s discrimination that Powys Council won’t pay for school transport, but the authority said they turned down the request because it did not meet their policies.
Samia has just finished year six at Our Lady and St Michael’s Primary, in Abergavenny, the nearest Catholic primary to the family home in Crickhowell, Powys. As there are no Catholic high schools in Powys the Shearmans applied and got a place for their daughter to attend the nearest one to their home, which is 18-miles away in Torfaen local education authority.
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Most of Samia’s primary friends are also going on to St Alban’s in Pontypool next term - the problem is the Shearman’s home is further away,
“We want Samia to continue having a Catholic education and so does she. It’s our faith and I feel this is discrimination,” said Matthew, “There are no Catholic high schools in Powys so children from here go on to St Alban’s in Pontypool.
“Powys County Council policy states if you live more than three miles from your school they will consider providing transport. We applied for school transport but were rejected so we appealed, but that was also rejected last week.”
He said he felt “patronised” by the council: “I feel it is religious education being treated as second best and that it’s discrimination.”
The Coleg Gwent lecturer, said he could drive Samia to school on his way to work in Ebbw Vale, but would not be free to pick her up at 3pm. His wife runs her business, Feodora Hair and Beauty in Abergavenny and would also not be able to.
As they struggled to work out how to get their daughter to St Alban’s the Shearmans asked neighbouring Monmouthshire Council if Samia could have a seat on one of its school buses to Pontypool, if they could drop her off at the bus stop. The couple said they were willing to pay the £480 annual fare, but hoped to get that back from Powys Council, or at least get Powys to pay the taxi fare between their address and the Monmouthshire school bus stop.
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“My wife contacted Monmouthshire a month ago to ask if we could pay for a concessionary ticket on their bus to the school, if we could get Samia to the bus stop. That would cost £480 a year and we were hoping Powys would pay for the taxi to and from the bus stop.
“But Monmouthshire said we couldn’t apply for that until six weeks into term to allow residents first chance to apply for the seats. Now Samia now doesn’t have a school to go to next term and even if she did get a seat she would have missed six weeks of term.”
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Mr Shearman said his daughter had been excited and looking forward to going to secondary, but was now worried about what would happen. He said Powys Council has offered Samia a place at Crickhowell High, but they want her to continue with her Catholic education and so does she.
“Our faith is extremely important to us and I don’t think this is morally right. As a resident of Powys how are they going to support children going to Catholic high schools?
“Samia is a Catholic, we are Catholics, her grandparents are Catholics - all practising. This is our life and our culture.”
Feodora, who takes Samia and younger sister Evea to church every Sunday, also accused the council of discrimination: “Powys have no Catholic school provision so Samia has been awarded a place at the nearest Catholic secondary school in Torfaen.
“I have never seen such discrimination of a Catholic student when the local council can’t offer a catholic school.”
The Shearmans have also contacted their local MS and MP and the Catholic diocese to complain.
Powys Council responds:
A Powys Council spokesperson said: “Home to school transport is provided for learners who ordinarily reside in Powys to attend their nearest suitable school or catchment school as set out in the council’s policy.
“This policy is aligned with the “Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys” that was approved by the leader of the council (following extensive public engagement) on 14th April 2020.
“To be eligible for free home to school transport, the learners’ nearest school or catchment school must be: The nearest to the learners’ home address and if so, they are more than three miles from their home address for secondary school (age 11 to 16).
“An application for free transport was turned down as it did not meet the council’s policy, the decision was considered at a transport appeal last month and the application was unsuccessful.
“Transport appeals are heard and decided upon on a case-by-case basis. If applicants remain dissatisfied, they can complain to Public Service Ombudsman for Wales.”
A Monmouthshire Council spokesperson said: "As per our concessionary transport policy we would only be able to offer a seat if a vacant seat exists, there is no financial implication to the authority, no alteration/disruption to the transport route taken and the child is taken to the nearest pick up point on the route.
"Post-16 concessionary applications are looked at before concessionary and we endeavour to award these within the first six weeks of the start of term although previously we have done this within the first three weeks. All concessionary applications are looked at on a first come, first serve basis.”
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