Headteacher at John Kyrle High School, Nigel Griffiths, has questioned just how much will be saved by changing the way school transport is funded in the county.

Herefordshire Council Cabinet approved its original decision to make major changes to the county's school transport policy, despite having been asked to reconsider many aspects of it by a scrutiny committee.

From September children will only be provided with free transport to their nearest schools. Parents who continue to choose a school which is not the nearest will be charged £720 a year for transport, that will be the same fee for post-16 Special Educational Needs students (SEN).

It is understood that this will affect children who attend several of the village primary schools, such as Lea and want to move to John Kyrle High School, but their nearest school will be Dene Magna.

Mr Griffiths said:?"I appreciate the need for the Council to economise. As yet, I have seen no compelling evidence that this decision will be cost saving but it is undoubtedly a complex matter in terms of logistics and assessing impact."

For the full story please see this week's Ross Gazette.