Private cars & parking
1. Car share
Wallingford Abingdon Bus Service to the European School, Culham
Buses organised by parents
Cycling to school
Public Transport

Private cars & parking

The school car park has very limited parking space and congestion can be severe. Parents are therefore requested to use buses or share cars if at all possible. For more information on car sharing contact Sandrine Philippot-Gasc via School Reception.

Parents with children in only Nursery or Primary are asked to leave promptly so that Secondary pupils can be collected more easily.

Pupils should be dropped off either in the car park in Thame Lane or in the "drop and go" area, and not on the A415.

In order to ensure children are safe and minimize congestion, observe the following:

the lane closest to the Sports Hall is for buses only. The next lane is for moving traffic: Drivers should never stop there.
to drive slowly in Thame Lane (preferably at 20mph).
not to park in Thame Lane.
Drop & Go: The two lanes closest to the grass are the Drop and Go lanes. Stay in your car. Do not leave your car unattended.
Please take extra care driving down Thame Lane and in the "Drop and Go area".
Remember: the lane closest to the Sports Hall is for buses only. The next lane is for moving traffic: The two lanes closest to the grass are the Drop and Go lanes. Please stay in your car and do not leave your car unattended.

Car share

In addition, CESPA has been donated a subscription to School-run.org, a website dedicated to help parents set up their own car-shares on the web. It is restricted to the European School, easy to use, free and completely confidential (every applicant is checked by the school secretary). We strongly encourage parents to register on-line through the school-run main web page. Identify the European School Culham and proceed o register.

Wallingford Abingdon Bus Service to the European School, Culham

by John Wood of Oxfordshire County Council

I write to advise you of forthcoming changes to the bus services that pass the European School, Culham, and which are used by some students to travel to/from the School. This is a result of a regular review of those bus services that are supported financially by the County Council, which we undertake every four years. New contracts have been awarded for the bus services in your area that will commence on Monday 2nd of June 2008 and run until June 2012.

The main changes to the bus service from 2 June 2008 will be:

Current route 140 (Wallingford - Abingdon) is renumbered 114 and runs at peak times.

Off peak buses will be numbered 116 and operate Abingdon - European School - Berinsfield - Oxford City. Togehter these two routes will provide broadly an hourly service in each direction throughtout the daytime Mondays to Saturdays.

Crucial bus times for European School:

Mondays to Friday, times from 2 June 2008:

Bus 114 from Wallingford to Abingdon arrives at European School at 07.49

Bus 114 from Abingdon to Wallingford arrives at European School at 07.54

Bus 114 from the European School towards Wallingford leaves at 15.54

Bus 116 from the European School towards Abingdon leaves at 15.56

A full time table for this service is available from reception.

Buses organised by parents

Oxford buses run by BLOC

Bloc is a parent run organisation - a co-operative of all those who use the 3 buses which run to the European School from Oxford each day. Each bus has an organiser who liases with the parents and collects the fees due for the bus. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any information or help.

Fees

Fees are calculated termly. As the buses work as a co-operative group they are calculated by dividing the cost of all 3 buses by the number of users. We try to send out bills soon after the beginning of each term. By accepting a place on the bus you engage yourself to settle the fees promptly. However, in case of financial difficulties or large numbers of children taking the bus you can contact the bus organiser and mutually agree to stage your payment over the term by post dated cheques.

Can we all use the buses?

Payment of fees entitles users to a seat on the bus that they have requested. It also lets you use the Wednesday and Friday lunchtime services - please let me know if you intend to use these.

Parents are requested to be vigilant, particularly with young or new users. They must have with them a contact number in case they are stranded at the wrong stop. Bus drivers are not responsible for the children.

Do I need a bus pass?

Children do not carry passes on the school buses. BLOC is run for the benefit of everyone who needs transport to the European School from Oxford, and the cost of hiring the buses is shared between everyone who uses them. We believe it is unfair if people try to take advantage by travelling on a bus they have not paid for, so regular checks are carried out to catch anyone attempting to travel for free. If your child would like to use one of the Oxford buses occasionally, but does not need it every day, it is possible to book individual trips costing £3. This is a small price to pay for the convenience of catching a bus direct from school, and can be arranged easily by contacting one of the bus representatives.

Safety and comfort on the buses is very important, and every year children and their parents are asked to sign a code of conduct. It is now compulsory to wear a seat belt at all times while the bus is moving, and children are expected to remain seated and behave considerately towards others. This helps make the journey a pleasant experience for even the youngest of travellers, and it is the parents’ responsibility to make sure their children understand this.

General Information

The times given are approximate, and the actual time the bus will arrive depends on the traffic conditions. Please arrive at the stop a few minutes early when dropping off or collecting your children. In the evenings allow for delays due to traffic, especially near the end of the route.
There is no adult supervision on the bus. Younger children should carry a card with their name, stop and contact details on it in case of emergency.
You may use the Oxford bus route you have signed up for, including the lunchtime buses. Please tell your bus co-ordinator if you need to make any changes or wish to bring a guest, as we need to make sure there are enough seats for everyone.

Bus No 1: North Oxford

(Charlton Services Bus Company) - Timetable

Contact: Nadia Pollini via School Reception or e-mail at cespaculham@googlemail.com

TIMETABLE 2005/2006

bus stop	AM	PM
1 Taylorian Institute-St Giles	7:20	16:35
2 Park Town-Banbury Rd	7:22	16:33
3 Marston Ferry Rd-Banbury Rd	7.24	16:31
4 Summertown-Martins newsagent	7:25	16:30
5 Summertown-BBC radio Oxford	7.26	16:29
6 Davenant Rd-end Banbury Rd	7:28	16:25
7 First turn-Woodstock Rd	7:30	16:22
8 European School	8:00	15:50

Bus No 2: East Oxford

(Charlton Services Bus Company)- Timetable

Contact: Greet Blom, email: blocbus2@googlemail.com

Mornings

Bus Stop

Time

London Rd starting at Green Rd Roundabout

1^st bus stop facing city

07:14

London Rd

Gladstone Rd

London Rd

24hr shop

(before Headington shops)

London Rd

Latimer Rd

07:17

Gypsy Lane

Half way along, opposite Brookes University

Morrell Avenue

1^st bus stop at top of hill