Schools could “consider” giving financial support to students who need to use alternative transport to sit exams because of strike action but who will struggle to afford it, the Department for Education has said.
There are three days of national strike action planned by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) this week, on 21, 23 and 25 June, as well as a one-day strike on the London Underground on 21 June.
In an email to school leaders this afternoon, the DfE said that there may be some students who will “struggle to afford” alternative travel to attend examinations.
The department has suggested that schools are “best placed” to “prioritise” spending to support students, and “can consider making available funding for students who may require it”.
It said that they could use core funding or, for post-16 students, the 16-19 Bursary Fund, to support alternative travel.
Union leaders have said schools will have already considered this but said the situation highlighted why schools needed more general funding.
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We are sure that if exam students are experiencing difficulties in getting in because of the rail strikes, and they cannot afford alternative travel, then their school or college will have already considered supporting them to do so.
“This sort of work is one of the many reasons why there needs to be a general improvement in the level of school and college funding that is currently insufficient to meet all the demands that are placed on schools and colleges.”
In a blog last week, the DfE said that only a small number of students rely on trains to get them to school and that it did not expect exams to be rescheduled because of the strike, as “this would not be fair on students”.
But the call for schools to fund alternative travel comes against a backdrop of multiple financial pressures - with school leaders warning they are being hit by a “perfect storm” of costs.
Tes has produced a full roundup of the guidance issued to schools if students - or invigilators - are late or miss an exam altogether as a result of the industrial action.
