Scottish Catholic Observer

Children in the city who live more than 2.2 miles from their school currently receive free transport, however in order to make budget savings Glasgow City Council took the decision to change the eligibility criteria to more than 3 miles, a decision which will take effect when the schools restart this month.

Parents with children at a number of Catholic schools across the city claim that they will be disproportionately affected by the changes, and are now campaigning against the plans, arguing also that the routes their children will now have to walk are unsafe.

Catholic parents have also told the SCO that they are considering sending their children to non-denominational schools which are closer to where they live, as sending their children to the catchment area Catholic school is no longer feasible or safe.

Michael Campbell is a parent of a child at Holyrood Secondary in Crosshill. Deemed to live a safe and acceptable walking distance from the school, his 11-year-old daughter will now have to walk to the school located next to Govanhill. In March, a teenage pupil was stabbed near Holyrood, and in 2007 a 15-year-old pupil was stabbed as he returned from his lunch break.

Mr Campbell said his family would go through ‘hell and high water’ to send their children to a Catholic school, but that he knows many other parents who are considering sending their children to the much closer non-denominational Hillpark Secondary

He added that it would cost more than £400 to pay for transport to the school, a figure many parents have said they can’t afford having only been informed over the summer.

Laura McColgan will be sending her twin daughters to Holyrood this year on a route she feels is unsafe.

“Councillors wouldn’t walk 2.9 miles to work and back every day yet they are accepting children of that age are to do that,” she said. “The transport for me to send my two children to pay for train fare is £408 a year… I want my children to go to a Catholic school… but it is a lot of money.”

Parents from a number of schools are protesting the changes, including from All Saints Secondary, Balornock, St Monica’s in Milton, St Mary’s in Maryhill and Trinity High in Rutherglen. Trinity is in the South Lanarkshire Council area, where councillors will vote later this month on introducing similar transport changes.

Parents have been discussing sending their children to non-denominational schools and a number of them, including Mr Campbell and Ms McColgan, have called for support from the Church.

Michael McGrath, director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, said that for many years most councils have been more generous than they were legally required to be.

“These changes could affect some families very significantly, depending on their home and school locations,” he added. “As yet we have no evidence that these changes are discriminating against children attending Catholic schools. However, the Church would expect councils to take account of the larger catchment areas of denominational schools, when considering the provision of school transport.”

Councillor Stephen Curran, executive member for education and young people at Glasgow City Council, said: “We have communicated with parents over these changes. Where there are no safe routes to school—regardless of the distance—free school transport will remain.”

Responding to claims that Catholic families may be more disadvantaged by the transport changes, a council spokeswoman said this was not the case.

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—This story ran in full in the August 7 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.