The council has a policy of providing free transport to all primary pupils who live more than one mile from their local school by the shortest safe walking route. This policy is more generous than the law requires. This means that the provision of transport could be reviewed at any time. Parents who consider they are eligible should obtain an application form from the school or from Learning & Leisure Services. These forms should be completed and returned before the end of February for those pupils beginning school in August to enable the appropriate arrangements to be made.
Applications may be submitted at any time throughout the year but may be subject to delay while arrangements are made.
There is discretion in special circumstances to grant permission for pupils to travel in transport provided by the authority, where spare places are available and no additional costs are incurred.
Pick-up Points
While free transport is provided it may be necessary for pupils to walk a certain distance to the vehicle pick-up point. Walking distance in total, including the distance from home to the pick-up point and from the drop-off point to the school in any one direction, will not exceed the authority’s limits (see above paragraph). It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure their child arrives at the pick-up point in time. It is also the parents’ responsibility to ensure the child behaves in a safe and acceptable manner while boarding, travelling in and alighting from the vehicle. Misbehaviour could result in your child losing the right to free transport. 
Transport Placing Requests
The Education Authority does not provide transport for those pupils in receipt of a placing request other than in exceptional circumstance
In the case of early entry requests if the child is offered a place in the catchment area school, transport will be provided in accordance with the Council’s policy stated above.
Allocations of transport are carried out by Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council. As such, allocations are provided for particular bus contracts and parents and children are not free to change buses for any reason. The head teacher of the school cannot sanction changes to contracts for individual children. Any request to have a contract changed must be done through the Transport Section of the Learning & Leisure Service.
Daily transport to and from school is available to children in the Balloch/Eastfield/Craiglinn/Blackwood developments and parents are reminded to sign the necessary documentation for travel passes.
Road Safety
Holy Cross promotes Road Safety through their Road Safety Education programme, ‘Street Sense’. Parents and teachers have complementary roles in road safety education. While teaching staff can inform children about road safety, it is parents who have most contact with their children and can revise points made in class and set them a good example.
You can help avoid accidents by driving slowly near the school – remember ‘20s Plenty’ – and by parking away from the zig-zag lines. These have been put down to provide a clear area for the school buses to turn. In addition, car users are not advised to enter the school grounds at opening and closing times. Parking spaces are restricted and it is difficult to turn and manoeuvre cars in the parking areas.
Holy Cross also has Junior Road Safety Officers in P6 and P7.
