Travel Arrangements
The School Office co-ordinates all student travel for Exeats and School holidays. All requests for travel should go via the student's Hm or House team in the first instance.
In order to make transport to and from School easier for parents and pupils, a number of services are available at weekends, exeats and holidays. These incur an additional cost and whilst some are supervised and fully escorted trips for which the school bears responsibility, others are entirely the responsibility of parents.
Please note that unless the transport is escorted, the girls are the responsibility of their parents once they leave the School site and until they return to the School site.
Airport Travel
At the beginning and end of terms and at Half Term, we run either taxis or coaches to London airports, depending on the number of students who need transport.
Coaches to the airport are escorted and taxi drivers can be booked (subject to limited availability; booking cannot be guaranteed) to act as escorts for Unaccompanied Minors. Parents should notify their daughter's Hm and School Office of flight details so appropriate transport can be booked. Because of the limited number of taxis available in the Benenden area, students may have to share taxis.
If your daughter flies as an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) or a young Person travelling Alone (YPTA), please ensure that you give the relevant forms to her Hm, as airlines are very strict about pupils who do not have completed paperwork.
Coach and Minibus Travel
Coach to Clapham Common and the Albert Hall (Escorted)
At Fixed Exeats and Half Terms, the school provides an escorted coach service to the Windmill Pub, Clapham Common which then continues on to the Albert Hall, Prince Consort Road. Requests for travel should be made with House teams and bookings should be made with the School Office up to one week in advance of travel. This bus departs on time, with or without those booked on it and pupils should be met by a specified adult at the end of their journey to London.
Minibus to Wimbledon (Escorted)
The School provides transport to outside Our Lady Queen of Heaven R.C. Primary School, Withycombe Road, Wimbledon at Fixed Exeats and Half Terms. Requests for travel should be made with House teams and bookings should be made with the School Office up to one week in advance of travel. This bus departs on time, with or without those booked on it and pupils should be met at the end of their journey home.
Essex/Suffolk Coach Service (Escorted)
At Fixed Exeats and Half Terms, the School provides this escorted coach service. The coach stops first at Brentwood, then Boreham Service Station just off the A12 near Chelmsford, then the Tollgate Centre, Stanway, just off the A12 south of Colchester, finally the Travelodge, A14/A140 at Beacon Hill. Requests for travel should be made with House teams and bookings must be made with the School Office two weeks prior to travel. Cancellations will only be accepted a minimum of seven days prior. This bus departs on time, with or without those booked on it and pupils should be met at the end of their journey home.
Minibus to Sussex (Escorted)
For pupils living in Sussex, we have a minibus to Haywards Heath at Fixed Exeats and Half Terms. The bus stops at Crowborough Railway Station Car Park, Maresfield Shell/McDonald's Car Park on Black Down, The King's Head A275/A272 at North Chailey, then arriving at Haywards Heath Franklyn Road Long Stay Car Park just before Carpet Right/roundabout, opposite Court House Clinic. Requests for travel should be made with House teams and bookings should be made with the School Office up to one week in advance of travel. This bus departs on time, with or without those booked on it and pupils should be met at the end of their journey home.
Taxis (Unescorted)
It is also possible to book taxis to other destinations via the School Office, though parents should please be aware that availability is limited to a small number of local companies and requests for bookings cannot be guaranteed. Please always make initial requests for travel with House teams, and copy your Hm in on any correspondence regarding transport. The School only uses taxi firms who have licensed and plated taxis and drivers who have been DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked. We have an arrangement with local taxi firms whereby students are not allowed to book their own taxis directly with a firm; all bookings must be made via the School Office.
Train Travel
Train Travel: Fixed Exeats and Half/End of Terms (unescorted but with an adult presence)
At Fixed Exeats, Half Terms and ends of term, it is possible for students to travel by train to Charing Cross, usually via Waterloo East. To save lots of parents booking individual taxis for their daughters, the School books a bus to Staplehurst and Benenden staff travel on the train in case of emergencies. It should be noted that this is not an escorted service. Members of staff are there in case of emergency only and cannot be guaranteed to find a seat near younger pupils. For younger pupils, the coaches to London may be more appropriate. The School does not book rail tickets for students.
Train Travel: Other Weekends
On other weekends, students may also travel by train to London. The School books a bus to Staplehurst Station each Saturday and a return bus on Sundays. Pupils are not accompanied by a member of staff on these occasions and parents take full responsibility for their daughter's travel. The School does not book rail tickets for students.
Travel Problems
A Duty Hm phone number exists for students who need help with travel difficulties. The phone is operational on days of travel at beginnings and ends of Terms and Half Terms, out of School Office hours. At Fixed Exeats the phone is staffed until the buses arrive at their destinations on Friday afternoons and from 6.00pm on a return from the Exeat. On other weekends the phone is operational from Saturday 12.30pm until Sunday at 10.00pm, excluding overnight. The number is available on the Portal.
Please note that it is not possible for students to take school trunks with them on any of the above journeys and they must only take what they can carry.
Please contact School Office for further details.
The video below gives you an idea of how quickly you can go from Central London to Benenden:
