Dudley school using minibuses to get students into school during ongoing bus strikes
A secondary school in Sedgley is helping students affected by the bus strikes by picking them up using the school's own minibuses.
Beacon Hill Academy in Sedgley did not want students to face anymore disruption in their studies, especially as Year 11 students complete their GCSE mocks.
Therefore, the school has been sending out its two minibuses every morning to help pupils who would otherwise struggle to get to school.
It comes after a week of indefinite strike action by National Express, which has impacted on many pupils' daily journeys.
Beacon Hill's minibuses, belonging to the Dudley Academies Trust, have been fondly dubbed the DAT Mobiles.
Principal of Beacon Hill, Sukhjot Dhami, said: "The DAT Mobiles are picking up learners who live two or three miles away who find it difficult to get to school.
"We have a broad catchment area and more than 1100 students, and we don't want any of our students not to be able to come in to school.
"We're trying to get rid of any barriers students and parents might have so they don't have to worry about getting to school.
"We don't want to lose anymore time as this is another curveball for us, we've already had the impact of Covid, teachers' strikes, and snow days."
The minibuses have been picking students up every morning to get them to school, but the service is not available after school and the pupils will make their own way home of an evening.
Parents whose children would benefit from the service are asked to email helpline@beaconhillacademy.org.uk.
Mr Dhami said: "We're trying to cover as many students as we can. We've also paid for a small number of taxis for students as we do have a small hardship fund."
Many schools across the region have been impacted by the strikes with lower levels of attendance and work set for pupils at home. But for a lucky few, it's business as usual for students.
Pupils at Tettenhall Wood School, a SEND school in Wolverhampton, have always used buses provided for them by Wolverhampton Council, so its 152 students have not been impacted.
However, staff members and parents are having to adapt and find different travel arrangements.
At Hydesville Tower School in Walsall, their home-school minibus service is running as usual, with the school confirming that a lot of parents drive their children to school.
