School transfers from Broadstairs for boarders, students and term-time flights

What school transfers from Broadstairs cover

Every journey is booked in advance by a parent, a guardian or the student, and can include:

• Start and end of term: home to school and school to home.
• Exeat and half-term weekends for boarders.
• University moves at the start of the academic year and back again at the end.
• Airport legs for pupils flying home overseas or arriving to start term.
• Exchange trips and school travel that begin or end at an airport.

Term dates: whose calendar to follow

Kent County Council sets the term dates for community and voluntary controlled schools. Foundation and voluntary aided schools set their own, and academies and free schools can change the length of their terms, so two children in the same Broadstairs family may break up on different days. Independent and boarding schools publish their own calendars.

Book as soon as the dates are known. The first and last days of term are busy for bookings, and the start of the school holidays is one of the times the M25 can run 30 to 45 minutes slower than usual, so leave more time for any journey that crosses it.

Boarders and the airport

For pupils whose families live abroad, the school journey often ends at an airport. We take pupils from Broadstairs to Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Luton or London City for the flight home, and collect them on the way back, tracking the flight and timing the collection to when it actually lands.

Airlines set their own rules for young people flying alone, so check the airline's policy before you book the flight and tell us what has been arranged.

On arrival, the driver waits in the arrivals hall with a name board. Agree the name on the board with your child beforehand so they know exactly what to look for, and make sure they have their phone charged.

The same works in reverse at the start of term: a pupil flying in can be met at the airport and driven to school, or brought home to Broadstairs first for a night before term begins. Families hosting an exchange student in Broadstairs can book the airport collection in the same way.

Luggage at the start and end of the year

A school or university move is rarely a two-suitcase job. Trunks, bedding, a desk lamp, a musical instrument and a term's worth of clothes all need space, so choose the car for the load as well as the passengers.

• Estate car: up to four people and three or four large cases, the usual pick for one student moving in.
• People carrier: up to six people with four or more large cases, for siblings travelling together or a whole room's worth of belongings.
• Saloon: up to four people with two large cases, enough for a half-term weekend.
• Mention anything bulky, such as a cello or a set of golf clubs, when you book.

What parents tell us when booking a school transfer

The more the driver knows before setting off, the easier the handover at each end. Useful details are:

• The pupil's full name and a mobile number they will have with them.
• The pickup address in Broadstairs, with the house name for addresses in Kingsgate or near the North Foreland.
• The destination: school, boarding house or hall of residence, and the entrance to use.
• Who will meet the pupil at the other end, and how to reach them.
• Flight numbers for any airport leg.
• The luggage, and whether a child seat is needed for a younger brother or sister travelling too.

University students: the long-distance journey

A university transfer is a long-distance journey like any other. The car leaves Broadstairs on the A299 Thanet Way, joins the M2 at Brenley Corner near Faversham and heads for the campus, wherever in the country it is. The fare is fixed for the car before you book, so a parent coming along to help with the unpacking does not add to the cost.

At the end of the year, book the journey home early, because every student on the corridor will be leaving in the same few days.

Booking, paying and changing plans

In the online booking system, enter the pickup, the destination, the date and the car, and the fixed fare appears before you confirm. You can pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna or Revolut, and the code ExpressTravelKent gives 10% off. Bookings can also be made by phone on 01843 247247, by WhatsApp or by email.

Exam timetables and term dates sometimes move. Cancelling more than 24 hours before the pickup is free; inside 24 hours up to half the fare may be charged, and inside six hours the full fare.