Harris Academy - decant transport arrangements - an update

Last night, I attended the latest meeting of Harris Academy Parent Council.     

Further to the information given to the Harris Academy Project Board on 24th April, there was an update on school transport arrangements to the Rockwell site from August.

The Parent Council was given detail of the likely routes of the re-routed "S" school buses.     The current 1S and 22S services that go to the Perth Road site will obviously not be required when the school is relocated during the rebuild project and will be replaced by two new services - the 11S and 12S (note change of service numbers compared to the provisional information given back in April) and it is envisaged that these will operate in the morning as follows :

11S - Leaving Perth Road at Clovis Duveau Drive each morning at 8.10am, the service will travel to Rockwell along Perth Road to the City Centre then to the decant site via streets like Rankine Street and Kilberry Street.

12S - Leaving Perth Road at Clovis Duveau Drive each morning at 8.12am, the service will travel to Rockwell along Blackness Road, covering streets such as Brook Street, City Road, Lochee Road and Loons Road.

Both buses should arrive at the Rockwell site at 8.40am.   Services at the end of the school day in the opposite direction will leave at 3.20pm, arriving back at Clovis Duveau Drive end of Perth Road at 3.50pm.

As all pupils who live in the catchment area and who live at least a mile from the Rockwell site being given a bus pass during the decant period of three years, pupils can alternatively opt for a number of main service bus routes as an alternative to the 11S and 12S, should this provide a better link between their home and the Rockwell site.

There are a number of aspects of the proposals I have raised with the Head of Transportation at the City Council in advance of the finalised arrangements being advised to pupils, parents and carers, around the second week of June.

At the Parent Council meeting last night, there were also useful updates on preparations for the decant to the Rockwell site, school staffing and finance matters.   I also raised the issue of evening classes and the operation of the Harris Education and Recreation Association during the decant of Harris Academy.