Midlothian pupils ‘let down by council’ after council axes shuttle bus from Mayfield Primary School

In December, pupils at Mayfield Primary School were told on short notice that the building would close as a matter of urgency, which the chair of the parent council said was due to the local authority ‘failing to keep the school in an adequate condition for children’.

Pupils were relocated to Easthouses Primary School after the Christmas break with Midlothian Council providing a shuttle bus from Mayfield Primary School to Easthouses located 1.4 miles away.

Pupils at Mayfield Primary School were relocated to Easthouses Primary School after the Christmas break. Midlothian Council has confirmed that the shuttle bus service between the schools will be axed in August 2025 | Submitted

But now parents have been informed the bus service will be scrapped in August – sparking frustration in the community, with one mum stating the move has caused a ‘significant upheaval for all families’ due to the ‘significant walk’.

Laura Watson, chair of Mayfield Primary School parent council, is now urging the council to reinstate the ‘vital service.’ Ms Watson said: “Mayfield Primary School students need and deserve these buses after having a substandard school for many years and are now being forced to be in a temporary building for at least two years. “

Ms Watson said funding for the new Mayfield Campus was secured in December 2020, but the project has been plagued with delays and recently ‘gone back gone back to the planning stage and a contract still hasn’t been signed’. With no definitive completion date for the new Mayfield Campus, the Midlothian mum believes the council should continue the bus services to minimise the impact.

Ms Watson added: “These buses are a lifeline to many families and they allow families to know their children are getting to school safely. Many parents previously allowed their children some independence by walking to school on their own and now that the school has been moved over a mile away that independence and core life skill is being taken away from some of them. The bus drop off is mere minutes away from the old school and has minimised this impact.”

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Following a February meeting between the parent councils and Midlothian Council officials, Ms Watson said parents were given assurances the bus service would remain in place until the new campus was completed for two reasons: it was a barrier for attendance and the parking at Easthouses Primary School could not cope with the influx of cars in the car park.”

Ms Watson said the extra walk will especially impact children who have physical disabilities. She said her son has Ellhers-Danlos Syndrome, a condition that affects his joints and means ‘he will not be able to physically do the 30-minute walk there and back each day’.

Another resident, whose grandchild is eight, said: “My grandchild has ASD/ADHD and doesn’t understand danger. They struggle to cross the road by themselves never mind walk the nearly two-mile walk to Easthouses. I will also struggle to walk due to osteoporosis - the walk to school is not accessible for disabled parents or children.”

They added: “I was assured that the buses would remain until the pupils returned to their school which should have been built by the end of this year. Whilst I am extremely grateful that the children have been moved to a safe school, the underhand tactics from Midlothian Council leave many people angry and let down. Mayfield Primary has been let down time and time again.”

Writing to the council, Ms Watson said: “We have been let down and misled by Midlothian Council time and time again. We deserve better. We have been fobbed off many times and this is not on, it will have such a big impact on families. I honestly don’t think you can comprehend what this will do to our community who so far have been amazing.

“Please understand how much this will impact the children, how much this will impact already struggling parents who have already rearranged their working schedule to accommodate the changes and will be forced to do it again after the summer.”

A Midlothian Council spokesman said: “The decision to relocate Mayfield Primary School pupils to the Easthouses Primary campus had to be taken at short notice before the Christmas break to minimise disruption to children’s education at the start of the new term.

“While we are able offer bus transport for pupils during the initial transition period, given the relative proximity of the two locations the decision was made to end this for most pupils after the summer holidays in 2025.

“We appreciate that many parents are upset about this, but we are in regular contact with the Parent Council and aim to ensure that they are kept informed and involved moving forward. We want to reassure families of Mayfield children with Additional Support Needs (ASN) that they can discuss individual travel arrangements with us directly.”