Protect Oaklands Catholic School Children from Danger

First Bus have cancelled the 7A school buses which took Oaklands Catholic School children home, from the bus stop inside the school grounds to Cosham.

This has been done purely to save money and increase profits by First Bus, with absolutely no regard for the welfare and safety of school aged children.

To give you an idea of how many children have been affected by this, First Bus used to supply a double decker and a single bus, which were full of school children.

That is approximately 150 children who no longer have a safe way of getting home after school.

150 children are now forced to stand on the main Stakes Hill Road after school.

Currently a temporary bus stop due to road works. This is very dangerous on a very busy road with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic from St Peters Catholic School and Crookhorn High School.

The children are spilling onto the road, with teachers acting as wardens to push them back onto the footpath.

We have all seen in the local news lately of an increase attempted child abductions of children on their way home from school.

Sadly, also an increase of rape and violence, with the latest being the murder of a young woman in Portsmouth only weeks ago.

I feel strongly, as does Mr Quinn the headteacher of Oaklands Catholic School, that the children are in danger.

Mr Quinn urged parents in a bulletin email to write to our local MP Alan Mak to stop First Bus cancelling the 7A school buses.

There have been no additional buses or double deckers put onto the main bus route by First Bus.

This has forced parents, who are able, to take and collect their children from school by car.

This has substantially increased the vehicle traffic (and pollution levels) in the already heavily congested area during peak times.

The school cannot accommodate parking for the parents of the 1000 school children.

Parents are now blocking the roads in the surrounding areas and parking illegally in front of the school and next to the temporary bus stop.

The school is struggling to cope and resorted to calling the police to manage the illegal parking and dangerous traffic congestion.

I fear it is only a matter of time before a child is injured by a car.

The school should not have to deal with this added pressure and be left to manage this dangerous situation.

It is winter now. Temperatures are freezing and it is dark by 4pm.

The buses (number 7) on the main route are inundated with passenger's from Havant and South Downs College, Oaklands Catholic School, Crookhorn High School, and St Peters Junior School, along with regular shoppers and commuters.

School children are having three buses passing them that are full to capacity and not accepting more passengers.

This means that children are waiting outside in the dark and cold for up to an hour after they have finished school (4:30/5pm).

The journey home can take up to another hour for children living in Portsmouth.

Children are then expected to have dinner and do their homework.

They are losing a lot of valuable time and this is having wider impacts on their education. The children are tired.

They are now also late for school most days because they cannot get a space on a full-to-capacity First Bus to get to school on time.