FOLLOWING the article Parents face bill in school bus changes (Hereford Times, June 25), may I add the following comments.

Traditionally children attending St Mary’s Primary School, Fownhope, have continued their education at either The Bishop’s school or St Mary’s in Lugwardine. Over the years the majority of pupils have chosen to attend Bishop’s following the faith pathway from one Church of England school to another.

And, of course, over time families have built up strong ties between the schools, with today’s pupils following the same route as their siblings and even parents.

Suddenly, AFTER parents had made their choice of school, they were informed that, as they had not opted for their closest school, they would have to pay for their transport.

Upon measuring the shortest distances the school bus would be able to travel, I find Fownhope to Bishop’s is 5.3 miles and Fownhope to St Mary’s is 6.6 miles. Having put this to the Herefordshire School Transport Officer he explained that the system used is provided by the Ordnance Survey which calculates the shortest walking route from home to school based on postcodes.

For some strange reason a different system is employed when calculating travel expenses for county councillors. Using this method, which involves walking Rights of Way rather than roads, I was informed that Bishop’s is 0.23 miles (less than a quarter-of-a-mile further away) than St Mary’s.

Children living more than three miles from their nearest school may receive free transport to that school. From Fownhope the same school bus is used to service both schools. It travels to Bishop’s first and then on to St Mary’s.

This means that the actual distance travelled to Bishop’s school is 1. 3 miles shorter. This gerrymandering is affecting young children who, although they have no voice in the matter, are our future. I wonder whether this is a case of Herefordshire Council knowing the cost of everything but the value of nothing.

Schoolchildren invariably have to explain how they reached an answer. Should the “Cabinet” do the same, especially as their answer to this question is somewhat dubious?

PETER DAINES Chairman of Governors, St Mary’s PrimarySchool, Fownhope