How the Glamorgan Archives helped schools across south Wales to visit them by subsidising transport costs.
Glamorgan Archives is a joint service, serving six local authorities in south east Wales. Until 2012, most school visits to the Archives had been made by schools from Cardiff. Schools further away experienced difficulties with travel costs, including one school which cancelled three visits in one school year because of cost.
In 2012 Glamorgan Archives, with support from Welsh Government, introduced a School Transport Subsidy Pilot Scheme. By offering funding to cover school transportation costs, it aimed to ensure equal access by pupils from all schools regardless of budgetary constraints and the capacity of parents to cover the cost of visits.
The scheme was offered to all schools in the areas served by the Archives outside Cardiff. Schools booked transportation and were reimbursed 75% of the cost after the visit.
The number of visits by schools outside Cardiff increased. In the first term of 2012/13, 133 pupils undertook workshops at the Archives who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to visit.
Kerry Thomas from Brackla Primary School, Bridgend, said:
‘At Brackla Primary School we ask parents/guardians for a donation in order to run school trips. The cost of transport obviously increases these costs and restricts what we are able to take part in. The transport subsidy provided for the visit to the Glamorgan Archives enabled our pupils to benefit from a well organised, educational and enjoyable experience. The Free School Meal percentage for these two classes is 33% so the subsidy was of particular benefit in this case.’