FURIOUS parents fear they will be forced to pull their children out of Woodroffe School following changes to bus fares.

Parents are facing a massive hike in school bus fares and with fewer seats available dozens of children will be in competition to secure a seat.

Children who live outside of the Lyme Regis school’s catchment area are not entitled to free school transport so parents must apply to buy spare seats on contracted coaches.

In the face of soaring transport costs, Dorset County Council has agreed changes to school transport, including increasing the cost of a seat from £250 to £400 a year and reducing the number of seats available.

Families living over the county border in Devon or Somerset are worried about the changes, including the Kensham family who live in Winsham, near Chard.

Elaine and David Kensham’s three children Conor, 16, Zack, 14, and Stevie, 12, all have concessionary places.

They live outside the catchment area but attended Marshwood Primary School, a feeder school of Woodroffe. Mrs Kensham, 44, said: “Woodroffe is a great school and I would be heartbroken if we had to consider taking them out.

“I would rather drive them there myself than have to resort to moving them.

“When you’ve got your children settled and they are at relevant points in their schooling, this is an unnecessary upset and upheaval.

“It’s such a lovely school and people who have fought tooth and nail and got their children in on appeal are worried this could be the final nail in the coffin.

” Mrs Kensham has identified at least 36 children who will have to fight to keep their place and they have written collectively to the council with their objections.

She said: “On the council’s own website it says if there’s enough of a demand for concessionary seats they would – not might – lay on extra seats.”

The school said it sympathises with the affected parents who have suddenly found themselves in a difficult position ‘through no fault of their own’.

Headteacher Dr Richard Steward said: “Since large numbers of parents have opted to send their children to Woodroffe in preference to their local schools, the local authority is likely to have little sympathy with their arguments.

“In the real world, however, many parents who made the choice to send their children here did so knowing that transport was affordable.

“Now that may no longer be the case, some will find the financial burden unmanageable and I feel desperately sorry for them.”

A Dorset County Council spokesman said: “We’re aware of concerns over the amalgamation of routes and loss of concessionary seats on the bus to Woodroffe School and are looking into the matter to see if there’s an alternative way forward.”