There is never a good time

The worst time for a school minibus to breakdown

There is never a good time for a vehicle to break down, but when a school minibus breaks down whilst carrying a group of excitable children, it is perhaps the worst time.

Which is why it is so important that the school minibus receives regular services, because without them the probability of it breaking down is naturally much higher.

But there are a number of valid reasons why a school minibus may be overdue a service, with the most common being that the school’s budget will not cover it this time around and that staff haven’t had the time to organise it.

When you lease a minibus from Benchmark Leasing a full maintenance programme is included, so no matter the outcome of the vehicle’s services and MOTs, the cost of repairs won’t affect the lease price.

It is an arrangement which makes it possible for schools to fund the minibus through a small payment each month, which has the added benefit of improved budgeting and cash flow.

And in some cases, where trips are paid for by contributions from parents and the PTA, it is possible to allocate a part of those payments towards the cost of the minibus – reducing the funds being deducted from the school’s capital account.

What’s more, leasing has proven time and time again to be cheaper than buying a minibus outright (especially if one takes into account the re-sale value of a school bus at the end of its working life) or hiring a coach each time.

For more information about leasing a minibus with Benchmark you can go to our website, call us on 01753 859944 or email minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk 

Cost-effective travel arrangements

What is the most cost-effective solution when it comes to organising transport for geography field trips?

If there is one activity that helps students raise their geography grades at GCSE and A Level it is the field trip. If there is one activity that raises grades even further it is the second field trip.

Unfortunately field trips are often curtailed for a reason that has nothing to do with geography, but is to do with the limited accessibility of field trip transport.

However, perhaps surprisingly, there is a straightforward cost-effective solution to this: the leasing of a minibus.

Leasing a minibus with Benchmark can very often work out to be cheaper than hiring a coach for each field trip or, indeed, buying a minibus outright (especially if one takes into account the re-sale value of a school bus at the end of its working life).

It is an arrangement which makes it possible for schools to fund the minibus through a small payment each month, which has the added benefit of improved budgeting and cash flow forecasting.

And in some cases, where trips are paid for by contributions from parents and the PTA, it is possible to allocate a part of those payments towards the cost of the minibus – reducing the funds being deducted from the school’s capital account.

In other cases the minibus can be funded through small monthly deductions from various departments’ income. If half a dozen departments agree to fund the bus, and the PTA agrees to put in a monthly amount as well, the funding problem can be completely resolved.

What’s more, a full maintenance programme is included so, no matter the outcome of the vehicle’s services and MOTs, the cost of repairs won’t affect the lease price.

You can find more information on our website or give us a call on 01753 859944.

Everything works until it doesn’t

What is the best way to budget for the cost of maintenance and repairs for the school minibus’?

The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round, all day long.

The horn on the bus goes beep. The wipers on the bus go swish. The windows on the bus go up and down…

Until, of course, the wheels, horn, wipers, windows, or, indeed, any other part of the school minibus stop working. Which causes a problem when the part failure means that the minibus is out of service, waiting for money to be allocated for its repair.

When leasing a minibus with Benchmark a full maintenance programme is included, so no matter the outcome of the vehicle’s services and MOTs, the cost of repairs won’t affect the lease price.

What’s more, leasing from Benchmark has proven time and again to be cheaper than buying a minibus outright (especially if one takes into account the re-sale value of a school bus at the end of its working life) or hiring a coach each time.

It is an arrangement which makes it possible for schools to fund the minibus through a small payment each month, which has the added benefit of improved budgeting and cash flow forecasting.

And in some cases, where trips are paid for by contributions from parents and the PTA, it is possible to allocate a part of those payments towards the cost of the minibus – reducing the funds being deducted from the school’s capital account.

For more information about leasing a minibus with Benchmark you can go to our website, call us on 01753 859944 or email minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk 

Benchmark Leasing Ltd
11 High Street
Eton
Berkshire
SL4 6AS

www.minibusleasing.co.uk/school-minibus.php

minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk

Tel: 01753 859944

One of the most powerful ways of supporting students in fulfilling their academic potential

“A positive student is a motivated student,” is a truism.  “A motivated student is a proficient learner,” is another.

But just because a statement is a truism, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a valuable observation. If everyone became a proficient learner then grades would go up.

The point is that we can’t directly create positive thinking. But situations can be set up so that positive attitudes are enhanced, and that enhances motivation, and so on.

The issue is simply, how can we do this? How can we offer students ever more positive experiences?

By far the most effective way is through occasionally removing them from the day-to-day routine and environment of the school so that they can participate in learning outside the classroom.

For, as Ofsted said, when implemented well, opportunities for learning outside the classroom “contribute significantly to raising standards and improving pupils’ personal, social and emotional development”.

All that is needed is for the travel arrangements to be easily organised, and the simplest way is through leasing a minibus.

Doing this via Benchmark normally works out cheaper than buying a minibus outright (especially if one takes into account the re-sale value of a school bus at the end of its working life) or hiring a coach each time.

It is an arrangement which makes it possible for schools to fund the minibus through a small payment each month, which has the added benefit of improved budgeting and cash flow forecasting.

And in some cases, where trips are paid for by contributions from parents and the PTA, it is possible to allocate a part of those payments towards the cost of the minibus – further reducing the funds being deducted from the school’s capital account.

What’s more, a full maintenance programme is included, so no matter the outcome of the vehicle’s services and MOTs, the cost of repairs won’t affect the cost of the lease.

You can find more information on our website or give us a call on 01753 859944.