Introduction
School transport is a statutory service for children who are
entitled to transport to and from school, by law. This is because
of the distance they live from the nearest suitable or catchment
school, or because they would be unable to access education
otherwise, due to disability or other specific needs. In some
authorities school transport is organised by the Education
Department. In others, the service is maintained by a Transport
Unit, which looks after all areas of the authority's transport
services, including public transport, social services, and youth
and community transport. Vehicles and their drivers are
normally contracted from private bus/coach/taxi operators, though
some local authorities run small fleets of buses. School
transport officers play a crucial role in ensuring the delivery of
a safe, efficient transport service for school children.
Work Environment
School transport officers work in a team. Generally their work is
either focused on pupils in mainstream schools or those who have
additional educational needs. School transport officers are usually
office based, but site visits may be required to schools and to
carry out monitoring of service performance.
Daily Activities
School transport officers carry out a wide range of duties. These
may differ from council to council, but will include some or all of
the following:
- forward planning - at the beginning of the transport 'season'
(February to May), officers sift through information from schools
and applications to ensure pupils are entitled to the service. By
the end of this process they have a rough idea of the numbers
involved and can then design and tender for the network of routes
they need to put in place. Applications continue to arrive through
July and August by which time they finalise the routes ready for
the school term in September. Bus passes are then printed and
issued to eligible pupils;
- daily tasks - to ensure that a suitable, reliable transport
network operates safely and efficiently, officers deal with the
day-to-day work of arranging transport for new applicants or
children who move, or whose needs change. This involves making
alterations to existing routes or setting up new routes as
necessary or arranging public service tickets or petrol allowances.
They also may need to find cover for vehicle breakdowns, deal with
incidents and complaints, and very occasionally, deal with
accidents - making sure everyone is safe and accounted for. CRB
checks need to be carried out on staff employed on school transport
services to ensure they are suitable. Details of vehicles used to
provide services their licenses, MOTs and insurances also
need to be checked;
- working 'in the field' can involve visits to schools, vehicle
operators' depots, riding on school buses, dealing with parents at
school open evenings, and liaising with various other authorities -
for example, the police, social services and the health
authority;
- administrative duties - officers develop publicity materials
related to school transport, they identify sources of funding,
research and submit bids for financial support from external
sources, and monitor the effectiveness of new initiatives.
Beyond these tasks, officers deal with correspondence by email
and post, spend a good deal of their time on the telephone, and
attend meetings as required. Officers liaise with a wide range of
people, including: children, parents, teachers, transport
contractors, social workers, councillors and school transport
officers in other local authorities.
Skills & Interests
School transport officers need to be:
- good communicators with excellent written and verbal
skills;
- approachable, persuasive individuals, able to negotiate with
people from a wide range of backgrounds;
- mature in attitude, with commitment and enthusiasm for the
work;
- well organised with strong administrative/planning skills and
the ability to use computers.
A driving license is normally required.
Entry Requirements
No particular academic qualifications are specified. However,
officers are expected to have a good educational background, for
example, at least four GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3). New entrants are
from a wide range of backgrounds. Some hold HNC/HND awards or are
graduates (various disciplines).
Entry to an HNC/HND is normally with four GCSE grades (A-C/1-3),
plus one A level equivalent. Entry to a degree course is
normally with five GCSEs grades (A-C), with two A-levels or
equivalent. Others hold relevant qualifications/experience in
secretarial, administrative or management posts.
School transport officers can work towards relevant NVQs/SVQs.
These include:
- Management, level 3 and 4 - provided under a Management
Learning Contract supervised by Transfed;
- Transport Technical Support, level 3;
- Transport Planning, levels 4 and 5;
- Road Safety, levels 3 and 4 - provided by the Institution of
Highways and Transportation.
Degree courses in transport subjects are available at the
following centres (check prospectuses to make sure the course
content is relevant to your career choice). Aston University,
Liverpool John Moores University, Napier University, Swansea
Metropolitan University, University of Glamorgan, University of
Loughborough, University of Plymouth and University of Ulster.
Future Prospects & Opportunities
With experience, school transport officers can progress to more
senior management roles. They may also work in other local
authority or private sector transport sections, for example,
dealing with hospital or public transport. Alternatively they may
use their skills and experience in other council departments, for
example, education, social services, highways, environment or
planning.
Further Information & Services
Association of Transport Coordinating Officers (ATCO) www.atco.org.uk
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport www.ciltuk.org.uk
GoSkills www.goskills.org
Institution of Highways and Transportation www.iht.org
You may find further information about this area of work through
Careers Wales (www.careerswales.com/) or
in your local library, careers office or school careers
library.