With qualification changes ranging from an increased focus on extended writing and the removal of tiering, to greater emphasis on the geography of the UK and fieldtrips, the new geography curriculum is providing us all with a range of challenges.

And of all these changes it is perhaps the increased emphasis on fieldtrips that will require the most attention in terms of practical and financial planning.

The specifications cite that students must complete fieldwork in two contrasting environments, and this will inevitably require the school to arrange some form of transport that is cost-effective and can be used at any time to go anywhere.

Leasing a minibus with Benchmark Leasing is one obvious solution for it 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.

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 financial contributions are made by 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, 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.

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

For some pupils and students set to advance to the next stage in their educational career, understandable feelings of nerves, uncertainty and excitement are replaced with feelings of anxiety, fear and panic – for reasons unique to each.

And too often, such feelings are accompanied by behaviours that not only threaten the success of their transition, but indeed the success of their education to come.

So what can be done to ensure that their transition is a success?

Arranging for those pupils and students who are likely to struggle with the transition to go out of school for a day or half a day together can really help to bring them together and form friendships that can last for years to come.

Strangely it often doesn’t matter too much where they go, whether it is to attend a character building course or visit an ancient monument, to see a local geographical feature or visit a theatrical production.

It is the fact that there is a day out that makes the impact.

But, of course, in order to arrange any sort of half day or full day out, cost effective transport is required.

Leasing a minibus with Benchmark Leasing is one obvious solution for it 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, indeed, 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.

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.

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

There are two things that an older school minibus has that a new one doesn’t.

The first could be could be called ‘character’ and ‘history’ – the result of an eventful past made up of away games, field trips and residentials. Which is rather nice really.

Unfortunately the second factor associated with an older minibus is the monthly bills for repairs, maintenance and upgrades and all the hassle that involves.  Not so nice!

Indeed, when it comes to maintenance work for the minibus, I’m sure that the vast majority of us would prefer not to have to ensure that the tyres, the clutch, the battery, etc, are all checked regularly.

However, if you can give up the heritage and history, you can now breathe a sigh of relief by giving the old bus a decent retirement and replacing it with a brand new leased minibus that comes complete with a maintenance contract.

So you get the benefit of a new minibus which is less likely to have problems – plus the option of having a professional undertake all the standard maintenance and servicing.

This effectively reduces the onus that is put on the person who is nominated in the school’s transport policy to look after the minibus. Indeed, it was to overcome issues and difficulties such as this that we introduced full maintenance as part of our minibus leasing.

And there is an additional benefit in leasing, which is that the purchase of the bus doesn’t come in one lump sum from school funds. Rather the bus is paid for as it is used by the school.

Not only do the schools that use our service get a new minibus without having to use current capital to buy it, but they also get our certification that the bus has been checked by qualified engineers.

Given that the majority of school minibuses on the road are over five years old, this approach can be particularly valuable.

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

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 

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.

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

“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.

It is not always easy to find Learning Outside the Classroom ideas, activities and attractions that both meet the demands of the curriculum and are best suited to your pupils’ interests and abilities.

In order to make the process of searching for relevant school trips easier, Educational Visits 2015 has put together an extensive online library of potential places to visit that will enhance pupils’ learning.

On the website (link below) you can search for educational visits by region, county, type, school subject and age group to find a suitable trip for your pupils and their education.

But of course, in providing your pupils with enriching LOtC experiences beyond the school’s immediate area, reliable and cost effective transport is required.

Leasing a minibus from 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, indeed, 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.

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.

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.

And to easily find Learning Outside the Classroom ideas, activities and attractions, go to: http://www.educationalvisitsuk.com/attractions.

Benchmark Leasing Ltd
11 High Street
Eton
Berkshire
SL4 6AS

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

minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk

Tel: 01753 859944

Keeping students safe from harm is undoubtedly the highest priority of any member of staff.  Which is why the MOT, servicing and overall maintenance of the school’s minibus is of the highest priority.

But there is a problem. Because, not only is this an issue of utmost importance, but it is also an issue that takes up a significant amount of time.

And when it has to be done, it can’t be delayed.

Of course, if the person nominated as in charge of the School’s Transport Policy always has time at the moment when the maintenance is due, then there is no problem. But if this is not the case, it can mean that the vehicle is either being used outside of its safety parameters or has to be taken off the road.

However, there is a solution.

For if you lease a minibus with Benchmark we will arrange for the vehicle to receive regular maintenance and servicing checks by qualified engineers, giving you the comfort in knowing that the school minibus is fully operational and, most importantly, safe.

What’s more, our leasing option means that you can benefit from improved budgeting and cash flow forecasting, since you will always know what expenditure is coming along.

It is an arrangement which makes it possible for schools to fund the minibus through a small payment each month. 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.

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

Minibuses tend to have two problems.

First they can’t be in two places at once, and second they don’t carry enough people.

Now, of course, the first of these two problems is one that affects all modes of transport, but the second is a problem that is particular to the minibus.

But fortunately both of these problems can be overcome very readily – and the good news is that the solution doesn’t involve waiting for the TARDIS to become an affordable everyday mode of transport.

The answer, of course, is obvious – but it is an answer which often ignored because it is instantly rejected on the grounds of it being too expensive. But that concern no longer applies.

Quite simply the solution is to have two minibuses – thus allowing the bus to be in two places at once or on other occasions to have double the capacity where a whole class needs to go to one location.

As for the cost, this is overcome by leasing the second bus (or indeed, should you wish, leasing both).

Leasing can often work out cheaper than buying (especially if one takes into account the re-sale value of a school bus at the end of its working life), and incorporates a full maintenance programme – thus avoiding any increase in the work that needs to be undertaken by school staff.

Indeed, since the monthly leasing fee includes not just the cost of the service, but also MOT and overall maintenance of the vehicle, the savings can be significant.

What’s more, because a second bus removes the need to hire a coach on certain occasions, the saving can be even greater than at first imagined.

Leasing a second minibus with Benchmark makes it possible for schools to afford a modern minibus with greater capacity through a small monthly payment.

You can find more information on our website or give us a call on 01753 859944, or email us at minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk