A free bus service may be at risk of being removed from a school that many local pupils attend which has subsequently resulted in public outrage among parents.

On January 17, Reading Borough Council’s Adult Social Care, Children’s and Education committee decided to consult on proposed changes to the Brighter Future’s transport policy.

The consultation being undertaken is related to several proposals including that free transport entitlement for pupils attending Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge School is removed.

The consultation period will end March 17, and the school has urged parents to come forward so a collective voice is heard.

The Deputy Head of Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge Emma Bliss has also confirmed that they will be responding formally as a school.

In a recent post to social media dozens of people have shared their worries on the matter.

Along with a photo of a recent letter to all parents, the Facebook post was captioned “This will massively affect a lot of children who rely on these buses to get to school.”

Many people took to the comment section to express their grievances.

One person said “This is terrible, as a potential year seven parent for 2024 this is really concerning.

“This council memo indicates a desire to remove the school buses entirely over 3 years. Covering the cost is one issue, but taking away the service is even more problematic both for existing RG4 students and future ones.

“School place applications have been made on the understanding there is a bus service. There is an assumption pupils will just move over to River Academy, a big step once you have started secondary school. Plus, Brighter Futures indicated applications were massive so no guarantee of a place at all.”

Other members urged people to come forward to fill out the consultation document.

One person wrote “I've just seen that you don't need to be a parent to fill the consultation document in - you can fill in in as a member of the community.

“So if anyone's worried about increased traffic if parents are driving to Chiltern Edge from Caversham, or from Emmer Green down to the River Academy, then you can fill it in.”

A spokesperson for Brighter Futures for Children said:

"Local authorities across England are experiencing continued demand and cost pressures regarding school transport and local pressures are in line with these national increases. 

"The free transport offer for Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge is an additional discretionary offer only available to pupils attending this school, with 304 pupils currently in receipt of the transport. Chiltern Edge is the only school where families benefit from this extended entitlement and local school options have changed since it was introduced.

"The consultation will identify families where a pupil is eligible for pupil premium free school meals and particular consideration will be given to the need to mitigate pressure on families currently exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, through mitigations such as a means-tested approach for some families to received support."