Parents will face bills of between £250 and £300 to pay for the bussing of children starting at primary and secondary faith schools in Nottinghamshire from September next year.
The council currently spends some £1.2M a year – 20% of its school transport budget – transporting pupils to denominational schools under discretionary powers. More than 9,000 pupils attending mainstream schools in Nottinghamshire are transported free every school day at a total cost of more than £6M a year.
Between 1,900 and 2,000 pupils currently receive free home-to-school transport to faith schools and will do so until they reach 16, or until they change school. Pupils from low-income families and larger families can still qualify for free transport.