family of schools in West Kensington and Ashford, Surrey, are well connected and served by comprehensive transport services, providing families with various options to consider. Details of our services, and how to access them, follow in this guide for all three schools.
Dear Parents / Guardians,
Thank you for taking the time to look at St James Schools’ Transport Service. This is our school Transport Guide, which sets out the wide range of travel options available to the pupils at St James Schools.
We have partnerered with Vectare, a specialist School transport management company. Vectare are responsible for over 2.5 million school journeys per annum. Vectare will manage all aspects of the schools’ bus service, and any enquiries can be directed to their team at stjamesschools@vectare.co.uk.
All bookings for school bus routes are made via our online booking system, which can be viewed at stjamesschools.vectare.co.uk. This means that you no longer need to complete the separate electronic application form. Payment for the service is made at the time of booking and your child’s name will automatically be added to the register. The website also incorporates an interactive journey planner which allows you to enter your postcode and find your closest bus stop.
All bookings for all routes can be made via this dedicated transport website. The website allows you to book travel 24/7 from anywhere in the world, meaning that if you need to leave early for work one morning or you are running late and you would like your child to travel on a school bus as a one off, you can make a booking right up until the bus is due to depart (subject to availability).
Other amendments and changes can also be made via the ‘my account ’ section of the website.
If you need any further assistance, or you would like to discuss travel options from areas not currently served by our network, please contact us via the bookings website and we will be pleased to assist.
Yours faithfully,
St James Schools
Step 1 - Scan the QR code or visit the following website: stjamesschools.vectare.co.uk
Step 2 - Log in: To get started, click the ‘Log in’ button in the top-right side of the website.
Step 4 - Booking / Payment: Simply fill out your information on our system once you have logged in. We kindly request that you ensure your child arrives promptly at the stop, as the bus will depart punctually and will not be able to wait beyond the scheduled departure time. stjamesschools.vectare.co.uk
Step 3 - How to make a booking: Once you have logged in, please click the ‘Book Now’ button on the left hand side of the website. Alternatively, if you type your postcode under the ‘Find your nearest stop’ banner on the top left-hand side, you will be able to see all of your closest stops and click ‘Book Now’ from here.
Located in the heart of West Kensington, our school site is easily accessible by multiple means.
In addition to travelling to school on foot, via car, the tube or local bus services, we also have three private coach services for pupils in Year 1 and beyond. They are luxury coaches with dedicated drivers whom the school has worked with for over 15 years.
For prospective families considering St James for their children and who would like to discuss our coach service, please contact our Registrars.
By tube
District line to West Kensington (5-minute walk)
District line to Kensington Olympia (2-minute walk)
Piccadilly line to Barons Court (10-minute walk)
Overground to Kensington Olympia (2-minute walk)
By bus
28 and 306 stop at Kensington Olympia
9, 23 and 27 stop at North End Road
By car
There is metered parking in the surrounding streets.
For prospective families considering St James for their children and who would like to discuss our coach service, please contact our Registrars.
South London – 1 hour
Richmond Circus 07:00 17:30
Lower Richmond Rd / Mortlake Rd (Bus stop B) 07:05 17:25
Roehampton Ln / Queens Ride (Bus stand) 07:13 17:20
Upper Richmond Rd / Fairfax Mews (Bus stop L) 07:15 17:10
Upper Richmond Rd / Oxford Rd 07:20 17:05
Parsons Green / Little Waitrose 07:40 16:45
Fulham Rd / Radipole Rd (Bus stop S) 07:43 16:42
Fulham Rd / Munster Rd (Bus stop FR) 07:45 16:40
Fulham Palace Rd / Clouncurry Street (Bus stop FQ) 07:48 16:35
Fulham Palace Rd / Lysia Street 07:50 16:30 St James Schools West Kensington 08:05 16:15
London
1
Victoria Coach Station / Semley Place 07:20 16:55 Sloane Square (Bus stop H) 07:24 16:50
Chelsea / Kings Road (Bus stop KD) (Bus stop KF) 07:30 16:45
South Kensington / Cromwell Rd (Bus stop GT) (Bus stop GM) 07:35 16:40
Queens Gate (Bus stop RD) / (Bus stop RK) 07:38 16:35
Kensington / High Street (Bus stop F) / (Bus stop A) 07:45 16:30
Holland Park (Bus stop X) / (Bus stop Y) 07:48 16:25
St James Schools West Kensington 08:05 16:15
EV) / (Bus
Avenue (Bus stop VT) / (Bus stop VL)
Bloemfontein Rd (Bus stop LC) / Adelaide Rd (Bus stop LH) 07:50 16:35 Shepherd's Bush Market (Bus stop R) / (Bus stop Q) 07:52 16:30
St James Schools West Kensington 08:05 16:15
Please note all coach times are approximate.
Our school is set in 30 acres of sprawling grounds and a wide variety of transport options are available to our families.
As well as being served by public transport routes, we also run our own private coach service that serves five different routes. Details on the routes that serve the school can be found on the next pages.
Windsor & Eton (18 mins)
Datchet
Sunnymeads
Wraysbury
Ascot (26 mins) Vauxhall Clapham Junction Ashford KemptonPark Kingston Hampton Strawberry Hill KewBridge Chiswick SyonLaneIsleworthHounslow
Brentford (17 mins)
SunningdaleLongcross EghamVirginiaWater Richmond(15mins) StMargarets Mortlake Barnes WhittonTwickenham Feltham Staines NorthSheen BarnesBridge SunburyUpperHalliford
Shepperton ( (52mins)
Weybridge (33 mins) Fulwell Teddington Norbiton HamptonWick Chertsey Addlestone
Putney (21 mins)
Waterloo (35 mins)
Further directions can be found on our website – simply look for ‘Transport’ under Admissions or search online using our postcode TW15 3DZ.
New Malden (44 mins)
By train
Ashford station is only a 3–5-minute walk from the school.
Train service is quick and efficient, allowing boys to travel from many surrounding areas including Windsor, Chiswick, Virginia Water, Richmond and Isleworth
Westbound trains (morning)
Trains to Ashford arrive at 8.03am and some at 8.08am, and usually run every half hour.
Eastbound trains (afternoon)
These depart from Ashford at 4.11pm and 4.41pm.
To check local travel times, enter your journey into the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner.
Twickenham 07:33 16:44
Street, Cross Deep (Bus Stop P) / Poulett Gardens (Bus stop R), Twickenham 07:38 16:40
Villa, Cross Deep - Bus Stop Pope's Grotto 07:39 16:35
Rd (Bus stop SP) / (Bus stop SF) 07:40 16:34 Teddington Library (Bus Stop A) / Teddington Pizza Express (Bus stop B) 07:41 16:33
Hill Fish & Chip Shop 07:49 16:26 Crispen Rd, Hampton (Bus Stop N)/ (Bus stop A) 07:52 16:23
Rd, Hampton (Bus stop Y)/ (Bus stop X) 07:53 16:22
James Schools Ashford 08:05 16:15
of Quaves Road, Lascelles Road 07:30 16:50
of Quaves Road, St Bernard's Road 07:32 16:48 Malborough Road 07:35 16:45
16:32
What age is my child eligible to take the transport service?
Our school transport service is available for all students from Year 1 and beyond.
How do I pay for a school transport service?
Payment for the service will now be taken at the time of booking via the dedicated transport portal.
Can I cancel my transport booking?
Unfortunately, due to the commitment we must make to facilitate a fully functioning transport service, bookings are non-refundable for the term booked ahead, and for ad-hoc bookings too.
Who do I contact if I have an invoice-related query?
For all invoice related queries, please contact stjames@vectare.co.uk
Do I need to let you know if my child is not travelling on the coach on a particular day?
If your child is not going to travel on the service on a given day, please mark this as ‘not travelling’ via the My Account section of the site.
Please note our transport service is available to book through the Vectare portal and payment is taken at the time of booking
Please note that you can only pay for both ways or one way, semi-trips are currently not available.
There is no CCTV on the Senior Boys’ coaches.
Are changes ever made to the school transport routes?
To ensure transport routes remain efficient and cost-effective, it is necessary to carry out periodic reviews. As a result, changes may occasionally be made to your child’s transport route, but we will always try to give you advance notice with updates, with routes available to view on our website.
Am I able to track the school transport journey?
Tracking is available when the vehicle is in motion and this can be located in the My Account section of the site.
Will the bus wait if I am not at the stop on time?
To ensure everyone arrives at school on time, we must be strict with the bus timetable and therefore the driver will not wait if your child is not at the stop at the designated pick-up time.
What security measures are in place for the safety of my child during the coach journey?
Our coaches are equipped with CCTV cameras, date and time stamped for the safety and safeguarding of your child.
1.The service is run on a day-to-day basis by the Coach Coordinator. A list of the current coach routes is enclosed.
2. Financial Policy: The service, including overheads, is paid for by those parents using the bus service. The financial plan aims to break even during the course of each financial year although it is likely that the school will provide subsidy. Payment will be made online via the online transport portal. In the event that a child does not use the place for a day or period of days, no refunds are given.
3. Timetable: The morning timetable is designed to allow the pupil to arrive at their school in good time for the start of the working day. Normally they will arrive on time but given the level of traffic congestion in the area it is not possible to guarantee this will always happen. Parents should take this into account when their child has an early start for a public examination.
4. Booking & Allocation of Places: Parents wishing to use the service must complete a Coach Booking Form.
Once a place is allocated it will remain with the pupil unless:
•The place is withdrawn in accordance with Paragraph 7.
•Notice is given to cease using the service in accordance with Paragraph 11.
•Demand for the particular route falls to such a point that it is no longer economically viable. In that case a place on an alternative service will be offered, if feasible.
5. Service: It is the objective of the service to provide a place for every pupil for whom a booking form has been received and who resides within the catchment area. Wherever possible this will be on the route requested by the parent. Where this is not possible the pupil will be placed on a waiting list and allocated a seat on the preferred route as soon as a place becomes available.
6. Pick Up & Drop Off Points: The pick-up and drop-off points will be notified by the school to all parents who use the service. Coach drivers are only permitted to stop at these points and are expressly forbidden from deviating from this schedule. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure their child arrives at the pick up point in good time (we suggest five minutes prior to the departure time) and that they are supervised adequately until the coach arrives. Morning and afternoon arrangements must take account of delays caused by traffic congestion.
7. Self-Discipline on Coaches: There are no supervisory staff on the coaches. The coach drivers have instructions to report all instances of misbehaviour and the school will treat reports of
this nature in a very serious manner. Normally, one warning will be given and any repeat occurrence will lead to the pupil’s place on the coach being withdrawn without refund. Where the incident is of a very serious nature, the withdrawal will be immediate. Boys are not allowed to disturb the driver nor eat and drink on the coaches.
8. Safety: In the mornings pupils are dropped off within the school grounds. In the afternoon the school will supervise the process of loading coaches. When on a coach your child must remain seated at all times and use the safety belt provided. Parents are asked to impress upon their children the importance of using the seat belt, which is a legal requirement. Checks on their use will take place and where a pupil is reported for not wearing one, it will be treated as a disciplinary matter. Clause 7 will then apply. Additionally, the police can fine coach operators when passengers are found not to be wearing seat belts. When a fine is levied and the pupil or pupils involved are identified, the coach company may seek to recover their costs from the parents.
9. Departure: In the afternoon coaches depart promptly from the school at 4.15 p.m. and it is important your child appreciates the need to go straight to the appointed coach park at the end of the school day.
10. Change to Routes etc: In order to run a cost effective and punctual service we may need from time-to-time to alter the coach arrangements. We must, therefore, reserve the right to alter routes, pick up points, times and the coach companies used. We will endeavour to keep changes to a minimum and provide as much warning as the circumstances allow.
11. Notice: Half a terms’ notice must be given if you wish to cancel this facility, or change from your original contract, e.g if your son changes from full time to part time usage. It will be the parent’s responsibility to inform St James Schools via the Contact Us form on the website if they no longer wish for their child to use the school bus service. Failure to give notice in time will result in no refund being given. Notice is not required where the pupil is leaving at the end of the Year 13.
12. Termly Charge: The termly charge will normally cover the whole of the academic year, however, we do reserve the right to make changes in-year and pass on increased costs above that allowed for in the business plan. The charge for the next academic year will be £550 per term. Proportional discounts are applied to those who use the bus service only in the mornings or the afternoons.
13. Emergencies: In the event of an emergency e.g. coach breakdown, the Coach Co-ordinator will endeavour to establish the cause of the problem and pass the information to parents.
For immediate assistance please contact Vectare on stjames@vectare.co.uk or visit the Help Hub on stjamesschools.vectare.co.uk
St James Nursery and Preparatory School admissions@stjamesprep.co.uk 020 7348 1793
St James Senior Girls’ School admissions@stjamesgirls.co.uk 020 7348 1748
St James Senior Boys’ School admissions@stjamesboys.co.uk 01784 266933
St James Nursery and Preparatory School & St James Senior Girls’ School Earsby Street, London W14 8SH
St James Senior Boys’ School Church Road, Ashford, Surrey TW15 3DZ
