Over the last few months we have listened carefully to feedback from learners, parents and carers about the cost and effectiveness of student travel. In addition to working with First Bus to increase certain route frequencies, as well change journey routes to better accommodate our learners, we have reviewed the way the College subsidises student travel for the 2026/27 academic year.

What is changing?

We want to be open and transparent about how our student travel support works and why changes have been made this year.

From September 2026, the College subsidy for student bus passes will be based on the distance a learner travels to College.

This means that learners travelling further will receive a higher level of College subsidy, with any learner whose travel is greater than 1.5 miles receiving subsidised transport, and the greatest level of support being provided to those travelling more than 15 miles.

We recognise that this change will mean some learners and families paying more than they did in 2025/26. We understand that this may be disappointing, particularly at a time when families are carefully managing household budgets.

Our analysis indicates that around 95% of learners who access a College-supported bus pass will get their college bus pass for free or pay less under the new model. Whilst we see this is as a positive step in our work around equity and equal opportunities, as part of our new Inclusion Strategy, we do acknowledge that this change will impact a very small number of learners and families in needing to pay slightly more than they did in 2025/26, when calculated over the course of the academic year.

Whilst this will be disappointing for those within this small group, we have ensured that even those who would pay the full price, still pay significantly less than the equivalent at other local colleges.

We are working on further strategies on how we can improve not just cost, but access and effectiveness of our transport offer with our partners. We are hopeful to be able to provide some exciting updates in the coming months.

How much will I pay?

The full cost of the First Bus pass varies by term because each pass covers a different number of travel days.

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

The Autumn Term pass costs more because it covers more travel days. The cost reduces in the Spring and Summer Terms to reflect the number of days included in each pass.

Why has the College changed the subsidy?

The cost of the bus pass is set by First Bus, rather than Weston College.

The College provides a significant subsidy towards the cost of student passes for eligible learners. We have reviewed how this financial support is distributed to make sure that a greater proportion of the available support is directed towards learners who face the highest travel costs.

Feedback gathered through learner voice activities highlighted concerns about the affordability of longer-distance travel. This feedback helped inform our decision to introduce a distance-based subsidy model.

Under the new model:

• Learners living more than 1.5 miles from the College receive a minimum subsidy of 25%.
• Learners travelling further receive a higher level of subsidy under the tiered model.
• Learners travelling more than 15 miles receive a 75% subsidy.
• Learners eligible for the College bursary will receive fully funded travel.

We believe this approach provides greater support to learners who face the highest travel costs.

What if my family is struggling to afford the bus pass?

We are committed to ensuring that financial circumstances do not prevent learners from accessing education.

Families with a household income of £45,688 or below may be eligible for support through the College bursary scheme, subject to the bursary eligibility criteria.

Eligible learners can receive fully funded travel, meaning there is no cost for their bus pass.

If you think your family may be eligible, we strongly encourage you to apply for bursary support via this following link

Greater flexibility for learners

First Bus has decided to no longer offer the five-day pass. As a result, all Weston College student passes are now valid seven days a week, giving learners greater use of their pass outside their normal College timetable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why has the subsidy changed?

The College has reviewed its travel support to prioritise learners who face the highest travel costs. Feedback from learners highlighted concerns about the affordability of longer journeys, which helped inform the new distance-based model.

How do I know which subsidy applies to my child?

The subsidy is based on the distance between your home postcode and the College. Applicants complete a form via the College website, which is then verified by the College Finance Team.

Can I apply for financial help if I cannot afford the bus pass?

Yes. Families meeting the bursary eligibility criteria should apply for support through the College bursary scheme.

Why is the Autumn pass more expensive?

The Autumn pass covers more travel days than the Spring and Summer passes, so it has a higher cost. The 2026/27 Autumn Term consists of teaching days spread over 15 teaching weeks, compared with the Summer Term, which is spread over 10 teaching weeks.

Can my child use the pass at weekends?

Yes. All Weston College student passes are valid seven days a week across the West of England, not just for travel to and from College.

Are bus passes more expensive this year?

Under the previous arrangements, the College subsidy was not based on travel distance in the same way. Under the new model, higher levels of subsidy are directed towards learners travelling further to College.

Based on last year's prices and with only a seven-day pass now available, the cost of three term passes would have been £525 (3 × £175) for the academic year. College bus passes now for each band are shown below.

You will see that learners in Bands C and D receive considerably more affordable transport to and from College. Band B learners have experienced a slight rise in the cost of the pass for the academic year.

Whilst Band A represents a notable increase, learners within a 1.5-mile radius informed us that their main mode of transport is walking. This also supports our commitment to encouraging greener modes of transport where possible.

Have you got any future plans to make transport even more affordable?

Yes. We are currently working on this and hope to communicate further improvements in the near future. As we did last year, we will continue to engage learners as a key stakeholder as we review our transport arrangements and work with transport partners.

We are delighted to celebrate the achievements of our T Level Business and Digital learners who have successfully completed their industry placements with Lloyds Banking Group.

Eight Business learners and three Digital learners spent the summer on placement, gaining valuable experience within the Bristol hub and at the branch of Lloyds Bank in Weston-super-Mare. Throughout their placements, learners integrated into a variety of teams across the business, working on real-life projects and developing industry-relevant skills.

Their work has included supporting data analytics projects, contributing to software development and testing, and collaborating with colleagues on a range of business initiatives as well as customer service roles within the branch of Lloyds Bank. These hands-on experiences have provided learners with an excellent opportunity to apply their classroom learning in a professional environment.

Our learners have particularly excelled in developing their professional skills, demonstrating strong communication, teamwork and problem-solving abilities while working alongside experienced colleagues. They have contributed to projects involving customer insight, business planning, process improvement and stakeholder engagement, gaining a deeper understanding of how a major financial organisation operates. Their professionalism, enthusiasm and willingness to take on new challenges have been praised by placement managers, helping them build confidence and prepare for future careers in the industry.

Many of the learners will now progress to assessment days, where they will have the opportunity to be considered for future employment and apprenticeship opportunities within Lloyds Banking Group.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Lloyds Banking Group for providing such a fantastic experience and for investing in the development of our learners. We are proud of everything our students have achieved and look forward to seeing future cohorts embark on the same exciting journey with Lloyds.

Abbie Hannaby, Careers and Employability Co-ordinator, said "Congratulations to all involved on this fantastic achievement. The dedication, resilience and professionalism shown by our learners throughout their placements have been outstanding, and they should be incredibly proud of everything they have accomplished. We look forward to following their future successes as they continue their educational and professional journeys."

I’m Salka, a Marketing Executive at Mindful Education and alumni of Weston College, and below is my career journey so far!

My Career Journey so Far

Since completing my Level 3 Marketing apprenticeship through Weston College and Mindful Education, my career journey has gone from strength to strength. Upon completing my studies and achieving a distinction, I was offered a permanent role at Mindful Education, where I have now been working for three and a half years.

Since then, I have continued to develop both personally and professionally. The range of responsibilities I deal with has increased exponentially, meaning my skill set is more varied and allows me to take on any task with confidence. I have also since completed a Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship, which enabled me to progress from Marketing Assistant to Marketing Executive.

What I Gained from Being an Apprentice

I think the confidence I have gained through my apprenticeships has been one of the biggest benefits. I have become more comfortable stepping outside of my comfort zone, taking on new challenges and trusting my own ideas and abilities.

My apprenticeship also gave me valuable practical experience of working in a professional marketing environment. I developed skills in communication, organisation, teamwork and time management, while learning how to manage real responsibilities and deadlines.

These experiences have had a big impact on my career because they have given me a strong foundation to continue developing and progressing within marketing.

Roles and Responsibilities of my Apprenticeships

The Level 4 apprenticeship was definitely a step up and helped to embed the knowledge that I had gained in my Level 3 apprenticeship. It also added another layer of depth and complexity to some of the theories and frameworks that I studied, which gave me a healthy challenge.

Similarly to Level 3, I had a project for my End-Point Assessment (EPA), so I had another valuable opportunity to plan and deliver a large project on my own.

I also had more opportunities to interact with my fellow cohorts and have teamworking experiences with other apprentices. This allowed me to build my team skills and understand a lot of the content more easily, as I had a sounding board to bounce ideas off and could share my ideas and work through tough topics together as a team.

My role at Mindful Education has developed as the scope and variety of tasks I handle has increased, and I feel that I am now responsible for much more within the team.

Some of my responsibilities include writing and posting social media posts, blogs and creating email campaigns to go out to our key audiences. I’ve also become involved in more internal and external events, helping with the planning and delivery of them by liaising with event organisers, couriers and other members of the team.

Challenges Along the Way

One of the main challenges during my Level 4 apprenticeship was balancing work and studies and meeting the requirements of both commitments. Often, I would find myself having to meet work deadlines, apprenticeship deadlines and stay on top of all my responsibilities.

To overcome this, I would use my study days to list my main responsibilities and get through as much as I could. For any tasks left over, I would section out my time after work, spending at least an hour after work throughout the week to complete them and ensure I met my deadlines.

I also found myself studying the material and seeing that it was a lot to take in, so I would make myself summary documents that sectioned off each of the key topics into bullet points. This allowed me to memorise and absorb information more effectively.

Biggest Achievements

The achievements I am most proud of are getting distinctions for each of my apprenticeships. Each apprenticeship I completed was over a year in duration, so a lot of time, hard work and effort had been poured into my studies, not to mention preparing for the EPA and doing it twice.

I am also very proud of making it to the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards in 2024 and being Highly Commended under the Creative, Media & Marketing category. This marked a significant moment in my career and was recognition of all my hard work over the last year and a half.

Advice to Future Apprentices

One piece of advice I would give to aspiring apprentices is to not be shy about asking questions. Don’t feel out of place just because you don’t know everything. At the end of the day, it’s a learning experience and the organisation that has hired you is well aware of the requirements and responsibilities of recruiting an apprentice.

You’re not supposed to know everything; the whole point of an apprenticeship is to learn on the job! So don’t be scared about doing an apprenticeship just because it’s something out of your comfort zone. It may seem daunting, but it is incredibly rewarding.

Future Steps

Now that I’ve completed both apprenticeships, I want to continue working in my role as a Marketing Executive and would like to do so for the future. I want to develop myself in this new role and take more leadership in various projects.

In the future, I can see myself taking on a senior marketing role and eventually also managing and guiding an apprentice. I can also see myself doing a Level 6 apprenticeship and progressing myself further in my career.