In conjunction with Transport for NSW, Ascham Boarding facilitates the School Student Travel Scheme (SSTS) whereby all regional NSW boarders are provided with a Free Rail Boarders Pass that allows them free travel between their primary residence and school on Boarder Travel Day.
Ascham Boarding arranges SSTS travel on Boarder Travel Day each term, with the exception of the first day of Term 1 and the last day of Term 4. Parents are required to bring their daughters to the Boarding House at the start of the school year, and to collect their daughters from the Boarding House at the conclusion of the school year.
Boarders can take leave from 3:30pm on the last day of term. SSTS coaches and trains depart early in the morning on Boarder Travel Day.
Boarders returning to campus with parents must be on campus before 8:30pm on the day before term starts. SSTS coaches and buses return late in the evening on Boarder Travel Day.
To be eligible for a Free Rail Boarders Pass under SSTS, a boarder must be a resident of NSW and can only travel between Ascham and the home address registered with the School. The Free Rail Boarders Pass is only valid for one return journey between Ascham and the boarder’s primary residence at the start and end of term vacations.
Boarders are required to travel by the most direct means between the stations nearest to home and the School without a break of journey. There will be occasions where an SSTS coach will need to pick up or drop off a boarder at an alternate location a short distance from their nearest station.
The Ascham Boarding Administrator registers all new regional boarders for an SSTS Free Rail Boarders Pass prior to them commencing the School year. New regional boarders will receive their Free Rail Boarders Pass in Term 1 and are required to carry their pass with them at all times when travelling at the start and end of term.
Parents will receive an email from the Ascham Boarding Administrator inviting them to complete an online booking form if their daughter requires transport via SSTS at the start or end of term. Travelling via SSTS is optional, and parents can choose to arrange their own transport if they prefer.
All requests for SSTS travel bookings must be submitted by the date indicated on the online booking form. Any requests submitted af ter the cut-off date may not be received and parents would be required to make their own arrangements.
Both boarders and their parents will receive their SSTS travel itinerary and ticket via email in the week prior to travel. Any cancellations of travel bookings must be emailed to boarding@ascham.nsw.edu.au at least 1 week prior to the travel date.
Term 3 ends on Thursday 18 September – all boarders can take Leave from 3:30pm. Boarder Travel Days are on Friday 19 September (End of Term 3) and Monday 13 October (Start of Term 4).
An SSTS booking request form is available here.
This form needs to be submitted by Wednesday 20 August.
Thursday 30 January – Boarder Travel Day
Friday 31 January – Start of Term 1
Thursday 10 April – End of Term 1
Friday 11 April – Boarder Travel Day
Note: SSTS bookings are not made for the start of the school year. Parents are required to make their own travel arrangements to bring their daughter to campus.
Monday 28 April – Boarder Travel Day
Tuesday 29 April – Start of Term 2
Kings Birthday Long Weekend
Friday 6 June – Boarder Travel Day
Monday 9 June – Boarder Travel Day
Thursday 26 June – End of Term 2
Friday 27 June – Boarder Travel Day
Monday 21 July – Boarder Travel Day
Tuesday 22 July – Start of Term 3
Thursday 18 September – End of Term 3
Friday 19 September – Boarder Travel Day
Note: Boarders who make it to the IGSA Sport Finals will be able to stay in Boarding until Saturday morning to help parents with the logistics of getting girls to their matches.
Monday 13 October – Boarder Travel Day
Tuesday 14 October – Start of Term 4
Wednesday 10 December – End of Term 4 and Boarder Travel Day
Note: SSTS bookings are not made for the end of the school year. Parents are required to make their own travel arrangements to collect their daughter from campus.
As part of the SSTS initiative, the NSW Government offers the School Drive Subsidy for students who live in areas with limited or no public transport to offset the cost of using a private vehicle to drive the eligible student all or part of the way to school.
For boarders, the School Drive Subsidy provides subsidised travel between their family home and school during weekends and school holidays. Since Ascham boarders are permitted to leave campus to go home during the school term, they are entitled to up to 22 trips per semester. Journeying to school at the beginning of the week or term and returning home at the end of the week or term counts as one overall trip for a boarding school student.
There is no subsidy cap on the distance travelled.
Applications must be submitted by the last day of Term 2 for semester one payments, or the last day of Term 4 for semester two payments.
Boarders are required to travel by the most direct means between the stations nearest to home and the School without a break of journey. There will be occasions where an SSTS coach will need to pick up or drop off a boarder at an alternate location a short distance from their nearest station.
More information on School Drive Subsidy payments, including rates and restrictions, is available here.
To apply for the School Drive Subsidy, please click here.
Once your application has been approved, Transport for NSW will give you login details to the School Drive Subsidy Parent Portal where you can submit and track applications and update your details and travel requirements.
To access the School Drive Subsidy Parent Portal, please click here.