Educating Tunbridge Wells: Private Schools

[Chris]

The west and south-west of Kent are both home to a number of private schools, but also the catchment areas for private schools over the border, and two such examples are illustrated here, both taken on 12 September. 

Claremont School are one of the few remaining schools in the Club area to have their own O-licence, and their vehicles are often difficult to record as, being 16-seater minibuses, they look very much like non-PSVs - indeed, I only realised it was a recordable vehicle when seeing the flash of blue in the windscreen as it passed me on the way in to Tunbridge Wells Station. Having disgorged its passenger load, I caught it with rainbow background as it returned empty. 

There are apparently two centres of operation, the senior school at Bodiam, with routes covering a northbound arc to Heathfield, Tunbridge Wells, Marden, Staplehurst, Tenterden and Rye, and the Prep school in St Leonards, with routes covering Broad Oak, Hailsham, Eastbourne, St Leonards, Hastings and Rye. 

Turbostyle are based just outside Crawley, and their Tourismo BF16 XOR was seen shortly after the Claremont vehicle operating route H for Plumpton College, a journey time of 1 hour 40 minutes each way. In view of the location of the college, their routes are largely outside the Club area, but include services to Battle, Bexhill, Hailsham and Eastbourne in addition to this, all secured from unnamed operators via broker/booking app Zeelo. 

Chris