Dad faces battle to get girls to school

Dad faces battle to get girls to school

18 October 2017

A SAINTFIELD dad says he has been faced with the stark choice of “feeding or educating” his children following a stand-off with education officials over school transport.

Single father-of-six Paul Steward has accused ‘over-zealous’ education officials of forcing two of his teenage daughters out of school by refusing to reissue their free bus passes.

Although the girls, who are 14 and 15, were granted free travel last year when they first joined Ballynahinch High School, their bus passes have since been withdrawn because Mr Steward did not follow correct protocols.

He explained the girls moved to the school in September 2016 to access a particular subject. He said the problem with the new bus pass arose because they do not attend their nearest secondary school.

Despite the fact that Saintfield High School, which is closest, does not have places for them, he said the Education Authority said he needed to be formally rejected by the school before being considered for free travel to Ballynahinch.

Despite this initial oversight on his part, Mr Steward said he felt the Authority might have shown some common sense due to the fact that it is common knowledge that the Saintfield school is oversubscribed.

Following a six-week battle with officials to secure two passes, he conceded defeat on Friday and is now facing a £55.50 per week charge for his girls to travel on their usual school bus, a bill he says he is unable to meet.

As a result, he said the children have been forced to stay home from school and must be home tutored unless an alternative is found.

He said he is exhausted by having to fight his children’s case and is devastated he is unable to afford to pay the daily fare for their 10-mile commute.

This is the second stand-off Mr Steward has had with education officials since moving to the area four years ago with his children, the youngest of whom is six.

He said he left work around that time to look after his children and had similar difficulties securing much-needed grant aid from the then South Eastern Education and Library Board to help him transport four of his children to school in Crossgar.

“I don’t know if they have a problem with me or with my kids,” he said.

“I feel officials have turned their backs on my children. By taking their bus passes off them on this occasion, they have removed their right to education.

“I have asked for home tuition as I do not want their education to suffer, everything is up in the air.

“This is an additional burden and worry, not only do I need to continue running the household and all that entails, I also need to make sure I do the best for my two girls.

“I normally travel 300 miles per week ferrying my other children to school. It is a hard life on an easy day.

“I would almost fear this is a personal vendetta except there appears to have been be problems for many families with school transport this year.

“It is like a lottery. I understand this is a big organisation and I understand there will be mix-ups but this has been going on for two months.

“Two children are now being kept out of school, something has to be done.”

“As a single father of six children I just cannot afford to pay £55.50 per week for their travel. I am faced with the reality - do I feed my children or do I educate them?”

No-one from Education Authority was unavailable for comment.