Exclusive by Kelly Eve Education reporter

Last updated 13:46, Friday, 02 May 2008

ALMOST 700 Carlisle schoolchildren will get free bus travel to and from Harraby while their new £30 million state-of-the-art academy is built near the city centre.

• Slideshow: uniforms and bus route map

Front left to right: Claire Nugent, Simon Little and Rhys McCormick; back left to right: Aimee McGarvie, Catherine Cockbain, Danielle Walker and Jordan Cowley

And at least 2,000 youngsters who will be going to the Richard Rose Central and Morton Academies will get free uniforms – a move that has created three jobs at a local firm.

Cumbria County Council has responded to concerned parents who were due to send children to St Aidan’s School later this year.

Parents feared they would be forced to pay extra fares to get their children across the city to Harraby, where the academy is expected to be based for up to two years.

But now council chiefs have ditched plans to offer subsidised travel and have agreed to run a fleet of free buses instead until the new academy is ready at Lismore Place.

Invitations for coach companies to tender for the contract are expected to go out next week.

The cost will be met 50-50 by Cumbria County Council and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

A council spokesperson said: “Free travel to and from the North Cumbria Technology College site will be provided for those who would have been eligible for transport to St Aidan’s School.

“We wanted to minimise disruption to parents during the period of transition and we thought the fairest thing would be waive the charge, even for parents who have made contributions in the past.”

If all eligible accept the offer, 684 children could be bussed around the city on 19 buses a day working nine different routes.

The routes drawn up are:

from Belah or Kingstown across Eden Bridge and up Georgian Way, along Victoria Place, Warwick Road and Eastern Way to Harraby;

from Wigton Road/Newtown Road/Orton Road/Dalston Road along Caldewgate through city centre and along London Road into Harraby;

from Blackwell Road in Currock/Upperby Road and to St Nicholas before travelling along London Road into Harraby.

A final route covers a stretch of Warwick Road between Spencer Street and Victoria Place.

NCTC and St Aidan’s are to formally close in August before the Richard Rose Central Academy is set up in September.

Details of the free bus travel were released this week as the academy uniform was unveiled. Pupils from NCTC, St Aidan’s and Morton modelled the new-look uniform that has been designed by youngsters.

Branded clothing will bear the Richard Rose logo in either red or gold – red for the Central academy and gold for Morton.

The tie is black with thin red and gold diagonal stripes.

Every child going to the Central and the Morton academies is entitled to a waterproof outdoor jacket, a sweater and tie as well as a full PE kit of shorts, polo shirt, long-sleeved top and socks.

Parents only have to provide the basics of a white blouse or shirt and black skirt or trousers. Optional branded extras, that parents will have to pay for, include a £10 rugby shirt and a zip-up sweatshirt for £12.50.

Academy sponsors will also be making free uniforms, funded by the DCSF, available to feeder primary schools.

Local firm Carlisle Embroidery has won the contract to supply the uniforms, creating three jobs in the process. Order forms for the new uniforms will be distributed to parents from Tuesday.

They have to be completed and returned on or before May 15th so uniforms can be distributed by the end of July.

Peter Noble, the chief executive of the Richard Rose Federation, the strategic body governing both academies, said: “This is great news for parents and students.

“Throughout the consultation process with parents these two issues were causing the most concern and we have taken this on board and answered in the only way possible, by making both free.

“I’m sure this will go a long way to convincing parents that we are totally committed to answering their concerns.

“However, it is unavoidable that there will be some disruption – we cannot create two multi million pound facilities without some upheaval.”

Mr Noble added: “On his recent visit to Carlisle, Lord Adonis asked parents to ‘focus on the end results’ and ‘within two years you will have the best educational facilities in the country’. I would reiterate that.”

Carlisle Embroidery advise parents wishing their children to try on garments before ordering to visit the Schoolwear Shop at Atlas Works in Nelson Street, Denton Holme.

Uniforms will also be on display at St Aidan’s School, NCTC and Morton School from Wednesday, and online at www.richardroseacademies. org.