As a School Business Manager, how can you support the students at your school in deciding which career path to pursue?

School trips, or learning-outside-the-classroom, can be highly beneficial to secondary school students when it comes to deciding which career they would like to pursue.

Why? Because school trips enable students to experience activities and events that they don’t have the opportunity to experience in the classroom, thus giving them a better understanding of where in society they (could) fit in.

But for this, school transport needs to be available whenever and wherever the opportunity arises for a school trip or learning-outside-the-classroom experience – which is where you (the School Business Manager) and Benchmark Leasing come in.

Benchmark Leasing specialises in leasing minibuses to schools and, as part of the leasing arrangement, we will also take care of the maintenance of the vehicle and thus assume responsibility for keeping it fully operational at all times.

A minibus which is leased is simply paid for on a monthly basis through a small monthly deduction from the school’s income. Thus schools are finding that it is possible to fund a minibus without taking anything from the school’s capital account.

In some schools the PTA is willing to make a monthly contribution, particularly if it means that their children will have more opportunities to undertake Learning Outside the Classroom.

To find out more about leasing a school minibus with us, please do call 01753 859944 or click here to see what we can offer.

And if you know that your colleagues are frequently searching for school trip or learning-outside-the-classroom ideas, please direct them to our Facebook & Twitter pages where they will find what lots of exciting ideas.

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When your pupils are looking for inspiration…

What more can you do to help your pupils with their creative writing?

Writing in an unfamiliar environment is something that nearly all successful writers do as it can provide them with the inspiration to think and write more creatively than before. Thus, when your pupils are tasked to write creatively, it can be a good idea to take the lesson elsewhere.

Whether it’s a short story or a poem, by taking your pupils to a park, busy street, reservoir or anywhere else which isn’t considered as commonplace, your pupils will be inspired by their surroundings and thus (in terms of creativity) their writing will be improved.

Of course, to do this you will need some kind of transport (unless your school is fortunate enough to be located within walking distance of such an environment), which is where Benchmark Minibus Leasing can help.

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 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 leasing a minibus with Benchmark Leasing 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

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To share is to have

  For many schools the cost of a minibus seems prohibitive but two developments have cut the price dramatically.

It is rare to find a school that wouldn’t accept the offer of a minibus if it was there, available for them.  But they don’t buy one, because of the cost.

However, two recent developments have ensured that more and more schools are now able to have minibus transport that they previously felt was out of their reach.

But – and this is the key fact – these two new approaches have to be seen together; on their own they look like interesting notions – but not a solution.

The two approaches are a) to lease the minibus on a set monthly fee which includes all servicing, maintenance and repair costs, and b) to share its use with a nearby school that is in the same cluster, trust or council as they are, so that each school has the bus for an agreed amount of time.

What’s more, many schools do then add a third element of their own to the equation – since they know how much the minibus will cost each month they do sometimes ask the PTA or other support group to make a contribution to that cost each month.

Now that is often very much welcomed since it means that the parents making the contribution to the minibus account know that is it their children who are benefitting, rather than the children in future years (as happens when the fund raising goes on for several years before a bus can be bought).

Sharing a leased minibus also has the benefit of ensuring that everyone is always driving a bus that is well maintained – since it is the leasing company that works on maintaining the bus in tip top condition.

If you haven’t leased a minibus or thought about 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.

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Reviewing the state of your school’s minibus

What’s involved when it comes to reviewing
the state of your school’s minibus?

The summer holidays presents the perfect opportunity to review the state of your school’s minibus and carry out a thorough check to ensure that all is in working order.

Things that you will need to check, among just a few, are:

√  oil

√  windscreen wash

  windscreen wipers

  brake fluid

  coolant

  tyre pressure

  depth of the tyre tread

  spare wheel

√  lights

  indicators

√  reflectors

  instruments on the dashboard

  mirrors

  seat belts

  head restraints

  brakes

  handbrake

Now is also a good time to review the various arrangements that your school has with minibus dealers and garages to ensure that you are getting the best deal and to see if there is anything more that you can do to reduce the costs of the minibus.

Of course, if you are looking to update the arrangement that you have for your school’s minibus, or indeed, acquire a new school minibus, you might want to have a look into minibus leasing.

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 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 monthly payment that you make.

For more information about leasing a minibus with Benchmark Leasing 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

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3 reasons for schools reporting transport to be the main barrier to LOtC

It is not a question of what to do or where to go, but rather it is a question of how to get there

There is an abundance of information on the internet (and elsewhere) in terms of what to do and where to go, to help you and your colleagues organise invaluable LOtC experiences for your students. Yet there is very little information about how to get there.

Indeed, a survey has revealed that 50% of secondary schools report transport to be the main barrier to offering (more) LOtC to their students. And it transpires that there are three things in particular that led the respondents to select transport as a barrier:

  • affordability
  • safety
  • and access

Which is why a growing number of secondary schools are finding that by leasing a school minibus (meaning that there is no initial large payment required – just a monthly lease fee) rather than purchasing a minibus outright, their costs are significantly reduced.

Better still, in leasing a school minibus with Benchmark, any repairs, servicing and the like are included in the arrangement with these costs conveniently built into the lease payments.

Moreover, a growing number of secondary schools are also finding that by sharing their minibus with a nearby school that is in the same cluster, trust or council as they are, the transport costs are halved, and their overall expenditure on school outings can be reduced.

If you haven’t leased a minibus or thought about 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.

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Outdoor learning report

Outdoor learning helps children develop and improve social skills, says new report

A Kent environmental education centre that works with schools across the UK and Europe has been praised for improving children’s self-esteem, confidence, and social skills through its residential trips.

According to a new report assessing the effectiveness of outdoor learning at Rippledown, in Ringwould near Deal, the centre’s residential programmes allow children to “gain a sense of their own individual interests, strengths and abilities” as well as “nature connection, hope and dietary awareness”.

The report follows a study by Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) and leading environmental education charity The Bay Trust, which runs Rippledown, on the impact and influence of the centre’s programme on children’s learning and wellbeing.

Three primary schools took part in the study, one from a rural part of Kent and two from an urban and suburban area of London. Some 50 children aged between 9 and 10 participated in team activities such as shelter building, using navigational tools such as map and compass, a walk to the beach, treasure hunting, and mini beast hunting.

Data gathered from an anonymous questionnaire, which was completed a week before, a week after, and a month after the children’s residential stay, suggests that their experience enabled them to gain a greater sense of their own competence, connection to nature, hope, and resilience, as well as developing a healthier dietary awareness.

Using hand-written journals created with natural objects, youngsters were also encouraged to give their opinions of Rippledown and describe their feelings inspired by photographs set in a natural environment.

The findings highlight how children view and interact with the outdoors, with responses including “being outdoors makes me happy” and “my actions will make the natural world different”. They also demonstrate the children’s positive coping skills while away from home.

If you are looking for LOtC ideas, please take a look at our Facebook & Twitter pages. 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

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How to … reduce your school’s expenditure on school trips

How to reduce your school’s expenditure on school trips without reducing your students’ LOtC opportunities?

A Kent environmental education centre that works with schools across the UK and Europe has been praised for improving children’s self-esteem, confidence, and social skills through its residential trips.

Unfortunately, however, a high proportion of schools can’t offer their pupils such Learning Outside the Classroom experiences as often as they might like, for the very simple reason that the budget doesn’t allow for it.

But there is a solution – a growing number of schools are finding that by sharing their school minibus with a nearby school that is in the same cluster, trust or council as they are, the transport costs are halved, and thus, their overall expenditure on school outings is reduced.

Moreover, a growing number of primary schools are finding that by sharing a leased school minibus (meaning that there is no initial large payment required – just a monthly lease fee) as opposed to one which has been purchased outright, their costs are further reduced.

Better still, in leasing a school minibus with Benchmark, any repairs, servicing and the like are included in the arrangement, and the costs are conveniently built into the lease.

If you haven’t 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.

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Acquiring a brand-new school minibus for half the cost

A growing number of schools are finding that by sharing their minibus with a nearby school, they can halve the running costs of the minibus and thus reduce their expenditure on school trips and away games by a considerable amount.

Moreover, a growing number of schools are finding that by sharing a leased school minibus (meaning that there is no initial large payment required – just a monthly lease fee) as opposed to one which has been purchased outright, their costs are further reduced.

Better still, in leasing a school minibus with Benchmark, any repairs, servicing and the like are included in the arrangement and the costs are conveniently built into the lease.

If you haven’t leased a minibus or thought about 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.

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How can your school afford an unaffordable necessity?

 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

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What are schools sharing in the bid to save money?

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.

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