Harrogate Bus Company steps in for special needs students with vital support

Harrogate’s leading bus operator, The Harrogate Bus Company, has stepped in to help local students with special educational needs to build independence as they travel.
By Graham Chalmers
Published 27th Jul 2021, 09:19 GMT
Updated 27th Jul 2021, 09:30 GMT
The Harrogate Bus Company’s General Manager Steve Ottley with students from Springwater School in Starbeck.The Harrogate Bus Company’s General Manager Steve Ottley with students from Springwater School in Starbeck.
The Harrogate Bus Company’s General Manager Steve Ottley with students from Springwater School in Starbeck.

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The bus firm is providing free travel across Harrogate and Knaresborough for groups of students and their teachers from Springwater School in Starbeck, to help them to get around town and gain travel skills along the way.

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All young people attending the school have moderate to complex learning disabilities, and their teachers say the bus firm’s support is vital to help them rebuild social confidence as their learning community recovers from the impact of the pandemic.

Springwater School Sixth Form teacher Kelly Tomlinson said: “We’re very grateful to The Harrogate Bus Company for supporting us.

"Our students will really benefit from being able to visit venues and integrate with the local community, gaining independent travel training skills as they go.

“Our Sixth Form classes especially benefit from travelling by bus, as students are accessing a curriculum that prepares them for adulthood.

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"Being able to travel together to town to use community facilities, access local shops and so on will make all the difference to their progress.”

The Harrogate Bus Company’s General Manager, Steve Ottley, said: “We’re delighted to be able to help Springwater School with group travel on our buses.

"It’s something we supported before the pandemic, and it’s more important now than ever that we do all we can to make travel safe and enjoyable for the students.

“Travelling on our frequent buses is a great way for the school’s student groups to take what they’ve learned beyond the classroom and into the everyday world.

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"We’re looking forward to welcoming them on board our buses, including The 1 route between Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough which passes Springwater School up to every seven minutes.”

Full details of all bus services run by The Harrogate Bus Company are available online at: https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/harrogate and via the free to download ‘Transdev Go’ mobile app

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