Abacus Belsize Primary School Transport Service

Abacus Belsize Primary School, a free school and part of CfBT Schools Trust, opened in September 2013 in temporary accommodation. The school is currently housed at the Jubilee Waterside Centre (JWC), based on Camley Street in Camden. JWC is located a significant distance from the school's catchment area and, as a consequence, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) agreed to fund a school transportation service, starting from September 2015. This service has continued during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 school year and is being provided by Camden Council, who run the bus service on the school's behalf. The bus service is crucial to the continued success of the school, which Ofsted has rated Outstanding. Without the bus service, pupil numbers would fall dramatically, and it is likely that the school would not be able to operate at all. The first incarnation of the service was designed to transport 90 children, but by the time the school will be full in 2019/20, the bus service will need to accommodate up to 210 + staff. The school will need to extend its stay at JWC and consequently, the bus service must also continue from September 2019 through to July 2022. CfBT Schools Trust are looking for proposals from suppliers who could run this service in a safe, reliable and cost-effective way.