A furious headteacher has hit out at council officials who are removing free school transport between Willaston and Nantwich after opening a new crossing.
Malbank School head John Harrison says Cheshire East’s decision to deem a near three-mile hike between Willaston and his school a “safe to walk” route raises “serious concerns about student safety”.
A new crossing was installed and opened on the A51 at the Peacock Roundabout earlier this year.
Because of this, the council has now re-classified the distance of just under three miles between the village and Malbank as a safe “available walking route”.
It means they will withdraw the free school bus transport for children travelling from Willaston to the school.
But in a hard-hitting letter to Cheshire East’s head of school transport, Mr Harrison has accused the authority of prioritising cost savings over student safety.
He said: “I want to be absolutely clear that I fundamentally disagree with both this conclusion and the process by which it has been reached.
“I do not accept that the installation of a single crossing point is sufficient to justify the reclassification of this route as safe and walkable for our students.
“In my view, this decision raises serious concerns about student safety and the financial impact on families, and appears to prioritise cost saving over both of these considerations.
“I note the position that the bus service itself is expected to continue to operate, but that access to this provision would become chargeable to families.
“No information has been provided regarding proposed costs, eligibility, or any transitional arrangements, despite the significant implications for those affected.
“Given the seriousness of this matter, I have already made parents aware of my position and of the concerns I hold regarding this decision.
“I am also engaging with our local MP, ward councillors, and the local press.”
Mr Harrison has written to all parents outlining the decision by Cheshire East and to confirm his opposition to it.
In his letter to parents, he said the bus itself is expected to continue to run but parents will now be charged.
He adds: “I want to be clear that I have very serious concerns about this decision.
“Like many of you, I find it extremely difficult to accept that this route can simply be deemed safe based on the installation of a single crossing.
“My immediate reaction is that this appears to prioritise cost saving over both student safety and the financial impact on families.
“Please be assured that I am not accepting this position.
“I am already working with our local MP and councillors, and I have reached out to the local press to raise the profile of a decision that I fundamentally believe is flawed. I intend to challenge this as much as I can.
“I understand that many of you will be upset by this news – I am too.
“We have a significant number of families who rely on this provision, and I am acutely aware of the impact this could have on both safety and family finances.”
One Willaston parent Sarah Jones is set to send her son to Malbank School from September.
She got in touch with the headteacher after seeing a letter earlier in the year which said the new crossing would be funded by removal of the free bus service.
Sarah said: “We were told no changes would be made without a consultation with the schools and local parents.
“Three miles is an insane amount of distance for a child to walk – any child – an hour walk there and hour walk back, often in the dark and in the rain.
“The routes out of Willaston are probably out of Park Road or Coppice Road. Neither of these have a crossing on them so children still have to cross over busy roads to get to the new crossing!
“Even with this new crossing it still is not a safe route. There are still many many busy roads to cross.
“I would not let my son walk to school from here.
“It doesn’t feel like the parents or the children in the village have been considered in any way. They have just thought about the cost saving.
“Children arriving in the rain, soaking wet, after an hour walk. No child can do that. It’s just unacceptable.”
In a response to Mr Harrison, Cheshire East school transport operations manager Ian Marshall said: “Cheshire East Council have reviewed the reclassification of unavailable walking routes to schools to available walking routes.
“The route from Willaston to your school has been reviewed, following completion of the improvement work at the Peacock roundabout, subsequently deemed available.
“After the reclassification, the distance from the Willaston area to your school is under the statutory walking distance of 3 miles, therefore we will be contacting parents affected by the removal of transport from September 2026.
“We have spoken to Mikro Coaches about the matter, the company will continue to operate the Mikro service 84 to your school, giving the children affected by the removal of free school transport the option to pay on the service to get to school.”
We have also approached Cheshire East Council for a full statement and requesting answers to a series of questions around decisions made.
One thing I don’t think Cheshire East has properly explained is what it expects families to do in September.
The council has decided that the route to Malbank is now available and, as a result, many families are facing school transport costs of over £900 per year, per child.
The question is: what does the council think will happen next?
Not every family can afford an extra £900+ a year.
Not every child is going to walk nearly three miles to school and nearly three miles home every day.
So what is the realistic outcome?
Surely many parents will end up driving.
If that happens, the decision won’t reduce journeys. It could actually create hundreds of additional car journeys every week as parents drive children to and from Nantwich because they cannot afford the bus or do not believe the walking route is practical.
At the same time, many children in Willaston live less than a mile from Shavington Academy but are expected to travel almost three miles to Malbank.
I cannot help wondering whether alternative options were ever considered.
For example, instead of spending money making the route to Nantwich available, was there ever any consideration given to creating a safe walking and cycling route between Willaston and Shavington Academy via Eastern Road and Rope Lane, and reviewing local catchment arrangements?
Such a route could potentially allow many children to walk or cycle safely to a school less than a mile from home, reducing traffic, reducing transport costs for families and reducing reliance on buses altogether.
I appreciate there are historical reasons for catchment boundaries, but from a parent’s perspective it feels like we are spending time and money solving the consequences of a problem rather than addressing the cause of it.
The nearest secondary school for many children is less than a mile away, yet they are expected to travel almost three miles in the opposite direction. To me, that doesn’t feel like common sense planning. Lee
If people decide not to live near a school, why do they expect everyone else to pay for their children’s transport?
Maybe it’s time that people realise that for every penny they save, someone else has to pay for it.
Why not reduce the speed limits on the relevant roads to 20 mph (paid from the savings to be made) so the kids have the option to cycle the 3 miles?
Just lowering the speed limit won’t slow down the traffic. The “Three Es” are Education, Engineering, and Enforcement, and all are required to bring about any change in the 85th percentile speed of traffic on those sections of road, which is what indicates driver behaviour.
Poor little babies having to walk 3 miles to get to school
Yes, like the severance package of yet another chief exec and the multi million pound 18 year deal with Ringway Jacobs to keep our roads in an absolutely appalling condition. Our money’s in safe hands…
It is our local school. We aren’t in the catchment for shavington or brine leas. We aren’t a feeder school for Malbank
@Andrew
Willaston is in the Malbank Catchment. Its not about nearest, this is defined by Cheshire East
https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/schools/admissions/secondary-school-catchment-areas/malbank-school-and-sixth-form-college-catchment-area
If parents dont want to send their kids to the nearest high school then they should be prepared to pay for transport
This is totally the right decision by the council. After all, the bus will still be available to use, just parents will have to pay. The council have got plenty of more important things to spend their money on.