A recent survey of what people carry with them in their minibuses provided an interesting result.  For although virtually all the items noted are ones that can be seen as obviously useful, virtually no two schools provided the same response.

The most common item that is carried – and one could say that almost 100% of school minibus drivers carry this – is a mobile phone.  Ideally a mobile phone loaded with the relevant numbers and contact details for handling an emergency.

Allied to this is the notion of having the details of what to do in an emergency printed out on laminated card or in some other hard-to-destroy form, and which is always kept in the bus.

Additionally some schools ensure that the phone also carries a relevant phone number which can be called should the bus be taking longer than expected to make the journey home at the end of the day.  A number which will reach the person in the school who can contact parents to tell them of the delay.

After that we saw noted the carrying of details on breakdown policy, along once again with contact numbers.  At this point insurance policy details were also noted – something that is helpful to have in the unlikely event of the minibus being involved in an accident. 

Next came the high visibility coat (BS EN 471) and the warning triangle which although not compulsory in the UK, is compulsory in some countries such as France.  Interestingly, in France the regulation is that one must be able to get the jacket and put it on without getting out of the vehicle.

A variation on the triangle was mentioned – the portable flashing beacon, and many stressed the need for a working torch – and a pen and paper.   Seemingly obvious but given that not everyone mentioned them, presumably they are not carried in every minibus.

With such responses – and particularly with items that could be removed or might no longer be working, there is the implication of the need to check the minibus before each journey to make sure it is still fully equipped and that everything is in working order.

One school reported to us that they actually used the issue of what the school minibus should carry as a topic in a discussion prior to a Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition.  

Seemingly some of the sixth formers did better than some of their teachers in drawing up a comprehensive list.  Which is perhaps because most of us get into cars each day without all this equipment.  Maybe we should all carry our own check list like this all the time.

Should you be looking to purchase or lease a new minibus please do call us on 01753 859944.

Alternatively you can find more information on our website.

The answer is, because they are purchased, not leased.

Now let me explain this a little further.  Leased minibuses can be traded in when the lease comes to an end.  So it is relatively easy to move on to the next lease, which obviously avoids the issue of thinking about how one might obtain a large amount of cash to buy the next bus.

But schools which buy minibuses can run into even greater difficulties than this.

Imagine this very common scenario.  The school decides that a minibus would be helpful, and for four years the PTA, ably and willingly supported by the staff of the school, work to raise money through everything from sponsored events to huge car boot sales.

Eventually after four or five years the money has been gathered.  Any short fall (which can occur because of the rise in the cost of vehicles during the fund raising period) is made up by the school, or through one final appeal, and then the bus is purchased.  Everyone is happy.

Now it would be quite inappropriate (and indeed probably doomed to failure) if the school started its collection and money raising process again for the next bus, the following year.  But in fact if the newly purchased minibus is not going to be run into the ground, this is what is needed.

In effect fund raising for the next minibus generally doesn’t start until the bus actually needs replacing – when it is about five years old.   But it takes five more years to raise the funds, and so that opens the door to the school spending a fortune trying to maintain a ten year old bus on the road, at the end of the period.

Further, most schools find that it is incredibly difficult to raise money for a replacement, as opposed to raising money for something that is new.   “Raising money for a minibus?” asks the put-upon parent.  “I thought you already had one…”

Such a questioning raises doubts, and these open up the realisation that by the time the next bus is purchased that parent’s children will have left the school.

So the problems mount, and in the end most schools realise that buying the second minibus is much, much harder than buying the first – and that was tough enough.

Which is why leasing is becoming ever more popular as a way of getting a replacement minibus.  Buying another new one is, for many schools, just not a viable option.  Handing back the old bus and leasing a new one is a lot, lot easier.

You can find more information on our leasing options on our website.

Alternatively, please do call us on 01753 859944 or email us at minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk for more information.

Of course just about the most important point about leasing a school minibus is to ensure that the monthly payments are met, that the bus is serviced and repaired as need be, and that parents and other interested parties know all about how it is being used. 

Now it is worth stressing “leasing” here because by and large schools that buy their own minibus do so with donations from parents so everyone will be aware that the school has got a minibus.

But leasing – a much more balanced and efficient funding system – does have one draw back.  It doesn’t require this fundraising work, and so the awareness that the bus has been acquired by the school is often missing.

Yes, telling everyone in the school that the school has a minibus (or indeed a second minibus) is vital if pride in the school is to be increased and awareness of what the school is doing is to be enhanced.

This can be done in several ways.

First through putting a note at the end of the weekly email to parents about school life, giving a list of all the places and events that the bus has been used to take pupils and students to.

Second there can be an accumulated half termly list put on the school web site.

And finally – perhaps most interestingly but also most often missed – there can be a school blog which records each outing and event from the point of view of those who went.

The blog is something that should be written by one or more pupils or students who travelled on the bus for a particular event – with the duty of writing the blog circulating among those on the trip.  Not only does this build up into a complete record, from the students’ point of view, of the use of the bus, it is also an excellent exercise in reportage writing. 

Indeed students can be encouraged to make their report more interesting than the one before, whilst staying within the bounds of reality and good taste!

The point about blogs is that their readership can become very large and as long as the pieces are positive then they will become an ever more important way of spreading the word about what the school is doing.

Thus it is important that the blog should have a link at the end of each article back to the school’s website, and to ways of getting in touch with the school.

The notion that school minibuses are expensive to the point of being unaffordable comes from the rather curious way in which newspapers tend to deal with the subject.

Their story is always the same. Through magnificent fundraising efforts and endless dedication by the PTA over the course of several years, the money to purchase the bus has been raised.

Which can be true, but quite often isn’t for one simple reason. Most schools don’t buy minibuses. They lease them.

Leasing means that the cost of the minibus is spread over time and can be accounted for in the budget. The PTA can still contribute by raising money to pay for the monthly payments, etc, but there is no longer that long, long wait for the capital to be accumulated.

What’s more, through the leasing arrangement there’s a second benefit, for all the maintenance of the minibus can be taken on by the leasing company, thus keeping the vehicle fully operational at all times.

Additionally, where school 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.

In other cases the minibus can be funded through a small monthly deduction from the school’s allocated income.

Not only will a new minibus help the school to expand education beyond classroom activities but it will also be a statement to prospective parents about the breadth and scope of the school’s vision.

Benchmark Leasing specialises in the supply and maintenance of school minibuses. If you are interested in the benefits of a minibus do call us on 01753 859944 or click here to see what we can offer.

When it comes down to it, teaching and learning can and does happen anywhere.  Indeed it only takes a moment to recall that as well as the classroom, teaching goes on in the hall, the playing fields… 

But the growth in the notion of learning outside the classroom has demanded that we each of us think further and further afield. 

And once this line of thinking begins, the opportunities are endless.  We might think of a greater sharing of other schools’ facilities, and then we might think of visiting historic sites, geographic locations of interest, concert halls, major libraries, the sea shore, the city centre…

Suddenly, when learning outside the classroom becomes a normal way of thinking, the school becomes greatly enlarged, and the only issue that remains is that of how to transport the students to and from all these exciting locations.

The obvious answer is to get a minibus – and the common response to that is “we can’t afford it”. 

And yet when one remembers that what the minibus is giving the school is, effectively, an extra classroom, suddenly the cost becomes very feasible.

What’s more if we also recall that the minibus can be leased, rather than being a drain on school funding, then suddenly we have a very exciting scenario to consider.

Finally if we throw in the fact that when you lease a minibus the work of maintaining the bus in the highest roadworthy condition is undertaken by the leasing company, the whole operation really does become a lot simpler. 

You wouldn’t expect to have to maintain your classroom – likewise you should never be expected to maintain the school minibus.

Indeed, having a minibus – (or an extra minibus if you already have one) really does take matters forward in terms of space allocation.

If you would like to find out more give us a call on 01753 859944.

Alternatively, please do take a look at our website.

Sometimes we can all get lost in the technicalities and forget the purpose of what we do.

It is perhaps a reflection of the world in which we live, that if you were to type the phrase, “Why does my school need a minibus?” into Google you won’t find a single website with that phrase in it.  (Although I guess after this article goes on our blog you will then find one, assuming Google does its searching stuff properly!)

I guess one reason for this aberration is that it is assumed that we all know the benefits of the minibus.  But even if this is largely true, it is interesting to contemplate the fact that while there are hundreds of websites that talk about the type of minibuses available, the benefits of leasing, the technical details of driving licences and insurance and so forth, the broader picture still seems to be missing.

In short, one might be forgiven for thinking that we are now in a world in which few people spend time looking at the overall, while most of us are forced to observe the details.

Yet the broader picture really is worth considering from time to time between all the detail, not least with the minibus.  For minibuses are, above all, a mechanism for expanding the education of the students we teach.

True, education takes place mostly in the classroom, but while part of the purpose of education is, obviously, to expand students’ understanding of themselves and the issues they study, it is of course also important to help them find their place within the society in which they live.

Especially as the society in which we live is, as we all know, changing faster than anyone ever previously imagined was possible.

So taking students out to see, and interact with, that world is vital, be it for a morning spent in a work setting, for a football match, for a visit to a nursing home, or to explore the ruins of a Norman castle.

Indeed it is often shocking to find how little of their local environment some students know.  Locations of importance and significance just five miles away may be completely unknown to some, and local resources ranging from a swimming pool to a bowling club, a library to a running track, might remain completely off the radar.

The minibus therefore is about more than collecting children from outlying villages or going to sports matches, it is about education and exploration, and indeed this is why so many schools are now not just putting money aside for the leasing of a single minibus, but are also moving towards leasing a second bus as well.

If you would like to discuss the options available for leasing a minibus, and indeed ensuring that you get the right sort of bus for your school’s specific requirements, please do get in touch.

There’s a minibus that has been phenomenally popular with schools, but it has just been withdrawn.  However…

In all walks of life, there are certain products and certain designs which are particularly popular.  This is as true with school minibuses as it is with any other product.

The prime example from the school vehicle range is the Ford Transit Minibus – a minibus that has proved to be much liked as a way of transporting school pupils and students. 

But with Ford planning to bring out a new minibus next year the production line has now been stopped, and the purchase of a new Ford Transit Minibus is becoming very difficult.

But fortunately, all is not lost.

Knowing the popularity of these vehicles, when we heard the news from Ford we took the decision to order up a significant number of Ford Minibuses before they vanished forever. 

As a result these minibuses are available now for lease, or, if you have the funds in place, for purchase. 

Of course the choice of leasing or purchase is yours, but I would add that leasing does offer the opportunity of having the maintenance undertaken by the leasing company.  This ensures that the bus is fully serviced as and when needed, and always running to the highest safety standards.

Benchmark Leasing specialises in the supply and maintenance of school minibuses. If you require any further information do call us on 01753 859944 or take a look at our website.

For some schools the Raising of the Participation Age this year is having some unexpected knock-on effects – not least in terms of a growing level of interest in education outside the classroom for students who perhaps in the past might not have stayed on at school beyond the age of 16.

The evolution of whole new courses for such students who are staying on until they can get a job plus education placement, or are still seeking to pursue work or volunteering combined with part time education, has led to many unexpected problems – not least the issue of how students might get from one location to another.

While some students working under the new Raising the Participation Age regulations will be making their own way between venues, there are likely to be many others who cannot do this.  Indeed there are some who we might prefer not to do this – if for no reason other than the fact that we want to know they have actually got to where we want them to be!

As such the need for a second school minibus can become imperative – not just for transport between training locations, but also to help students gain additional work experience and undertake more activities than would be possible without them.

This is where minibus leasing can come into its own since most schools that do not have a minibus fund lined up for this eventuality, will find it hard to provide the cash to buy the bus.

As yet, of course, none of us knows exactly how schools throughout England will be coping with the new regulations, and as the information does start to filter through we will be passing it on.  But at this stage it looks more than likely that those schools with a minibus will find it easier to cope with their additional group of 16/17 year olds than those without spare minibus provision.

In the coming months we will be co-operating with some research to find out how schools are coping with the new RPA regulations, and I hope to be reporting back on this in subsequent newsletters.  

In the meanwhile if you would like to discuss how you will be able to expand the learning outside the classroom that your RPA students engage in, through the leasing of a minibus, please do call us on 01753 859944.

With so many schools now having one or more minibuses it is not surprising that certain models have shown themselves to be particularly popular across the UK.

One such model is the Ford Transit Minibus – and it is the very popularity of this vehicle that makes it seem, at first sight at least, rather odd that it is no longer available.

The explanation is that Ford are planning to bring out a new model sometime next year – which is presumably fine for Ford but not much use to the many schools that were planning to lease or buy a Ford minibus in the meanwhile.

But fortunately, a solution is at hand.

Because when we heard the news from Ford, we took the decision to order up a significant number of Ford Minibuses which are available for immediate delivery.

As a result these minibuses are available now for lease or, if you have the funds in place, for purchase.

Of course the choice of leasing or purchase is yours, but I would add that leasing does offer the opportunity of having the maintenance undertaken by the leasing company – thus ensuring that the bus is fully serviced as and when needed, and always runs to the highest safety standards.

Benchmark Leasing specialises in the supply and maintenance of school minibuses. If you require any further information do call us on 01753 859944 or take a look at our website.

The problem that young people face when approaching their first employment

One of the great problems that many employers face if they are looking to take on school leavers is the fact that many youngsters simply don’t have much of a clue as to what working in a factory, warehouse or office is about.

They don’t know how people work, what it is like, what the requirements are, or indeed what people actually do.

If some of the students take into the workplace the concept that they work when they are told to and either do nothing or muck about when they are not supervised, then they will find that they are moved on very quickly.

The particular problem here is that if they see people having a conversation during work time they don’t have the experience to know if this is a private affair or part of the work.  If a joke is cracked and everyone laughs they don’t know quite how to fit in with this repartee.  In short they don’t know the social rules of the workplace.

Which is why it is incredibly helpful if Year 11, 12 and 13 students can be taken to as many work settings as possible, not just to learn about the job, but also to learn about what it is like to be at work.

Now the one thing that gets in the way of this is the making of arrangements. Many companies will welcome a small school party accompanied by the teacher. They will be happy to show the party around and then let the teacher undertake a short discussion with the students (if there is a spare meeting room available) before returning to the work floor with any questions to put to the management.

Of course the whole plan does require the school having a decent minibus to transport the students to and from the work location. Which is where Benchmark Leasing comes in.

You can find details of the minibuses we have available for lease on our website, or you can give us a call on 01753 859944.