AQW 2679/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Education
To ask the Minister of Education how many pupils currently attend (i) primary and (ii) post-primary schools in Locality North who do not qualify for a bus pass because they do not attend their closest school of type, broken down by school, for each year for the past five years.
Asked by John Blair MLA on 3 August 2022
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 3 August 2022
- Answer due by
- 18 August 2022
- Answered
- 18 August 202215 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Education
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The Education Authority only assesses whether a pupil qualifies for transport assistance as part of the application process and therefore data is only available in relation to pupils who have applied for transport. The EA do not hold a breakdown of applications that do not meet the qualifying criteria at individual school level.
The table below sets out the number of applications for transport assistance made in the Locality North area from academic years 2017/18 to 2021/22 and the number and proportion of those applications initially rejected due to the pupil not attending their nearest suitable school.
Applications for Transport Assistance in Locality North Area, 2017/18 – 2021/22
| All Schools Transport Applications | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
| Received | 7,129 | 9,273 | 8,618 | 8,468 | 8,774 |
| Initially rejected as not attending Nearest Suitable School | 1,014 | 1,125 | 706 | 708 | 721 |
| % Rejected as not attending Nearest Suitable School | 14% | 12% | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| Primary Schools Transport Applications | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
| Received | 1,483 | 1,347 | 1,540 | 1,721 | 2,026 |
| Initially rejected as not attending Nearest Suitable School | 242 | 201 | 162 | 116 | 177 |
| % Rejected as not attending Nearest Suitable School | 16% | 15% | 11% | 7% | 9% |
| Post Primary Schools Transport Applications | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
| Received | 5,646 | 7,926 | 7,078 | 6,747 | 6,748 |
| Initially rejected as not attending Nearest Suitable School | 772 | 924 | 544 | 592 | 544 |
| % Rejected as not attending Nearest Suitable School | 14% | 12% | 8% | 9% | 8% |