School minibuses are becoming an unaffordable necessity, but this doesn’t mean your school can’t have one.

A combination of the rise in pupil population and the drive to get more children learning outside the classroom has meant that many schools are finding that they need an additional minibus. But there is a problem – minibuses are expensive to buy.

However schools are often surprised to learn that leasing a minibus with Benchmark can work out much cheaper than buying a minibus outright (especially if one takes into account the re-sale value at the end of its working life), or indeed, hiring a coach each time.

And with leasing there is no initial large payment required – just a monthly lease fee.

Better still, there is no issue about the cost of repairs, servicing and the like, since leased minibuses come with all the arrangements and all the costs of servicing and repairs built into the lease.

What’s more, to further reduce costs, a growing number of schools are sharing their leased minibus part time with one or two other schools.

There are many ways in which this can be done, but sharing with a local feeder primary school is one of the most popular. This way, the cost of running the minibus is shared, and each school knows exactly when it has the extra bus and arranges events around it.

If you have not leased a minibus before, or not thought of sharing one before, the best way forward is to give me a call and I can talk you through how it works – not least because a fair number of schools are now involved in shared minibus leasing projects, so we have a lot of experience in helping to set up such a project.

But if you want to take a look at who we are and what we do before you call, you’ll find more information about leasing at www.minibusleasing.co.uk.

Email: minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk
Tel: 01753 859944

Benchmark Leasing Ltd
11 High Street
Eton
Berkshire
SL4 6AS

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

minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk

Tel: 01753 859944

On-site facilities are not all that schools are sharing
in the bid to save money

Schools have reported that they are saving a considerable amount of money by sharing their facilities (an IT suite, play area, school hall…) with neighbouring schools, and vice versa.

But on-site facilities are not all that schools are sharing in the bid to save money.

Indeed, a growing numbers of schools are leasing an extra minibus (meaning that there is no initial large payment required – just a monthly lease fee) and then sharing it part time with one or two other schools or groups.

In this way, the cost of running the minibus is shared, and each school knows exactly when it has the extra bus and arranges events around it.

Better still, there is no issue about the cost of repairs, servicing and the like, since leased minibuses come with all the arrangements and all the costs of servicing and repairs built into the lease.

If you haven’t before leased a minibus, or thought about of sharing one, please do give me a call on 01753 859944 and I can talk you through how it all works.

But if you want to take a look at who we are and what we do before you call, you’ll find more information about leasing at www.minibusleasing.co.uk.

Much of the world comes in unbreakable units.  You can’t really have half a person (unless you work in a mortuary and really need to do the odd bit of dissecting).  You can’t have half a football either – or at least not meaningfully.

And you might imagine that the same applies to half a minibus?  But strangely enough, the notion of half a minibus is not only practical, but it is one that hundreds of schools now utilise.

Not surprisingly large numbers of schools have a situation in which their minibus is booked to overflowing, meaning that some sports events, such as away fixtures and the like, become hugely difficult operations to arrange.

You know you can’t possibly justify another minibus, because you only have this problem a few times a week, but you also know that if you could have a minibus for these additional occasions life would be so much easier.

However, there is a solution.

Growing numbers of secondary schools are leasing an extra minibus (meaning that there is no initial large payment required – just a monthly lease fee) and then sharing it part time with one or two other schools.  There are many ways in which this can be done, but sharing with a local feeder primary school is one of the most popular.

In this way the cost of running the minibus is shared, and each school knows exactly when it has the extra bus and arranges events around it.

Better still, there is no issue about the cost of repairs, servicing and the like, since leased minibuses come with all the arrangements and all the costs of servicing and repairs built into the lease.

If you have not leased a minibus before, or not thought of sharing one before, probably the best way forward is to give me a call and I can talk you through how it works – not least because a fair number of schools are now involved in shared minibus leasing projects, so we have a lot of experience in helping to set up such a project.

But if you want to take a look at who we are and what we do before you call, you’ll find more information about leasing at www.minibusleasing.co.uk.

Email: minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk

Tel: 01753 859944

There is one barrier to LOtC in particular that Benchmark Leasing are trying to remove, not least because it is something that 34% of primary schools and 50% of secondary schools report to be the main reason for them not offering as much LOtC as they would like.

This barrier is school transport – from the costs and legalities, to everything in between.

Thus Benchmark Leasing has provided schools with a wealth of information about school minibuses ahead of Learning outside the Classroom Week (27 June to 1 July) which can be found on the Learning Outside the Classroom website.

Our guide to the legal requirements of operating a minibus can be found at www.learningoutside.info/index.php/operating-a-minibus-legal-stuff, or if you’d prefer to go straight to a specific topic in this area, you can do so by clicking through the links below.

1. Who can drive
2. Operator’s Licence – what types are there and do you need one?
3. Seatbelts – the rules
4. Taking a minibus abroad
5. Towing with a minibus
6. Tachographs – what are they and do you need one?
7. Signage for School minibuses
8. Safety inspections and MOT’s – what are the rules and recommendations?
9. Driver training
10. Additional reading and information sources

If you would like to get your school involved with Learning Outside the Classroom Week, please visit: http://www.learningoutside.info/.

Alternatively, if you are looking to lease a minibus, you can have a look at the different minibus leasing arrangements that we offer by visiting: http://www.minibusleasing.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

As a mode of teaching and learning LOtC is probably the most powerful system that we have.

Our aim in setting up Learning Outside the Classroom Week is very simple – we want to encourage educators in schools across the UK who don’t engage in LOtC to do it. And we want those who do it occasionally to do it more.

Why? Because learning outside the classroom works. Indeed, as a mode of teaching and learning LOtC is probably the most powerful system that we have.

In believing this, the team behind Learning Outside the Classroom Week has been searching for the answers to two simple questions:

1. What is it that encourages educators to become involved in LOtC?
2. What is it that stops some educators in schools from becoming involved in LOtC?

The answer to the first question is obvious (or so we think).

Indeed, pupils and students can gain enormous benefits from LOtC that they either would not gain from learning inside the classroom or at the very least would not gain so quickly.

Such as, that learning outside the classroom is more readily remembered than learning inside the classroom. And that learning outside the classroom can also help pupils and students to develop socially and mentally.

There are also huge benefits for schools – benefits which parents are very quick to pick up on and which thus make the school more popular and parents more willing to get involved.

In asking the second question we quickly realised that there are several basic issues here, but that one barrier to LOtC is more prevalent than any other?

After analysing the results of a survey issued to educators in UK schools, both primary and secondary school teachers stated that transport was the main issue (50% secondary, 34% primary). Or, more specifically, the cost of transport.

So how can this be overcome?

In getting your school involved with LOtC Week which is running from the 27 June to the 1 July 2016 you will be privy to a wealth of information surrounding the issue of transport, including transport costs, restrictions, legalities, and regulations.

This information has been supplied by Benchmark Leasing – a company which specialises in the leasing of school minibuses and without whom LOtC Week and the research conducted ahead of the Week’s launch would not be possible.

I do hope you will take a look at the LOtC Week website (www.learningoutside.info/) and take advantage of all it has to offer. And if you find we haven’t covered a particular topic, please do email Jenny Burrows at HQ@LearningOutside.info.

How we are helping an increasing number of schools to remove the barriers to LOtC?

A survey conducted ahead of Learning Outside the Classroom Week (27 June – 1 July) in consultation with Benchmark Leasing has revealed that 34% of primary schools report transport to be the main barrier to offering (more) LOtC to their pupils.

Furthermore, it transpires that there are three things in particular that led the respondents to select transport as a barrier to LOtC: affordability, safety and access.

With this in mind we have devised a number of minibus leasing arrangements to meet the specific and varied needs of schools. To see our top five school leasing arrangements, which we have evolved through feedback, primarily from school managers, please click here.

Affordability

Leasing a minibus with Benchmark can often work 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.

Safety

Given that the majority of school minibuses on the road are over five years old, it is no surprise that concerns over safety are a barrier to LOtC. Thus, our minibuses are always supplied brand new, so concerns over safety are significantly reduced.

Additionally, our minibus leasing arrangements include routine servicing, replacement of worn tyres, replacement of worn brakes, repair of the exhaust, repair of the battery, and Breakdown Cover for the full term of the agreement.

Accessibility

Some schools report that there isn’t always a licensed driver readily available to drive the school minibus, which limits the amount of LOtC that you and your colleagues can offer.

Fortunately, we have a range of minibus leasing arrangements for minibuses below 3500kg, which means that the school minibus can often be driven by any member of staff who holds a standard car driving licence (subject to meeting certain requirements).

For more information about the minibus leasing arrangements that we offer, including minibus specifications, maintenance and prices, please do visit www.minibusleasing.co.uk or call us on 01753 859944.