Shortest appropriate route and database of roads and footpaths

Methodology

Shortest appropriate route is one of the admission rules used to decide which children the authority should offer places to.  The shortest appropriate route between a pupil’s normal home address and their preferred school is measured by computer using our geographical information system.  The shortest route is measured using a database that combines the Ordnance Survey Integrated Transport Network (ITN) data with a database of footpaths (made known to us by parents), which have a proper made-up surface such as tarmac or concrete.  The route measured will start at the point on the network that is closest to the centre of the property (taken from the Ordnance Survey Address Point file) and will end at the nearest school gate.  The measurement is taken along the centre of the road.  The home to school measurement is used purely to prioritise admission.  It carries with it no expectation that the walk should be the one taken, or that it is a ‘safe walking route’, or that it is a rational route to travel.  All applications are measured using the same methodology along the same database of roads and footpaths.

Two schools in Buckinghamshire use direct rather than routed distance – St Nicholas’ CE Combined School in Taplow and Waddesdon CE School in Waddesdon, please contact the schools direct or the Admissions Team for more details.

How to request changes to the database of roads and footpaths

The shortest route is measured using a database that combines ITN data with a database of footpaths made known to the Local Authority by the cut-off date.

The ITN Layer is considered to be the definitive, most accurate and up-to-date geographic reference for Great Britain’s road structure.  The ITN layer is updated in December every year and includes the following:

• Motorways
• A Roads
• B Roads
• Minor Roads
• Local Streets
• Private Roads (including those with restricted access)
• Alleys (urban public roads that provide alternate/secondary access to land/house/garage blocks and so on)
• Pedestrianised Streets (roads principally used by pedestrians but may provide some access to certain types of vehicles)

It is important to note that any roads that have been built recently (particularly in new developments) may not be included on the network.  If this is the case, unless we are notified of their existence, the measurement will start from the nearest available road on the network from the property.

Ordnance Survey does not hold a database of footpaths.  As a result, the only way to incorporate this information into our database is to collect it directly from parents.  The footpaths currently included on our database from the September 2011 admission round can be seen in the file below.  (Important note: the presence of a footpath or road on any map on Buckinghamshire County Council’s website will not necessarily indicate that it has been included on our database).

Any requests for footpaths or roads to be considered for inclusion or exclusion from the database or for any other modifications need to be received before the start of the admission round (i.e. by the 11 November 2011 for admission in September 2012).  Please send a map showing the roads/footpaths that you believe should be included for the 2012 admission round to

Admissions and Transport Team, Access & Inclusion, Achievement & Learning Division, County Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 1UZ.

We will write to you to confirm whether or not a footpath meets our definition and can be included in our known footpaths database.  We will do the same for any new roads identified by parents.