The Secretary of State for Transport has confirmed that the
Government has no plans to make changes to the Transport Act
Section 19 and 22 permit schemes for schools. This means that
individuals, including teachers, can continue to drive minibuses
without any specialist training, and schools operating minibuses
are exempt from Operator’s License requirements.
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary for NASUWT,
said:
“There is no end to the list of responsibilities this Government
will pile upon teachers. It is dangerous to ask a teacher to
drive a minibus when they only have a driver’s license. It is
doubly dangerous to ask them to drive long distances after they
have already completed their working day at school.
“In 1993, a minibus from Hagley Roman Catholic High School
crashed into another vehicle on the hard shoulder of the M40 near
Warwick. Twelve pupils and their teacher died; only two pupils
survived. Thirty years on, the reason for the crash is still
unresolved: the teacher at the wheel had been working all day,
driving all evening, and did not have a minibus operator’s
license. They should never have been put in such a position.
Unbelievably, teachers are still expected to carry this burden.
“If the Secretary of State for Transport wishes to prevent
further tragedies and to keep teachers and pupils safe on the
road, he will scrap Section 19 and 22 exemptions for schools as a
matter of urgency. They were only ever meant to be a stop
gap.
“NASUWT will continue to campaign for safe and secure transport
for teachers and pupils, and for teachers to be allowed to
concentrate on teaching – not driving.”
Note to Editors
A press release on NASUWT’s minibus exemptions for schools
campaign, launched in November 2023, can be found here.
