Two schools have claimed management of pupils' transport is placing a financial burden on schools - and causing stress and anxiety for students and their families.

Senior teachers at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) and Ullswater Community College at Penrith wrote to parents to explain that 11 routes were either full or oversubscribed.

In a joint letter to parents, they also said bookings for transport for the next academic year could not be taken on certain routes until August 17.

They said this was down to Cumbria County Council's lack of capacity to manage its services.

The schools say they were told by the authority not all demand from pupils who are entitled to transport has yet been accounted for - and therefore it was not in a position to give final route availability and associated costs.

Cumbria County Council does not have a statutory duty to provide school or college transport for post-16 students.

In its 2014/15 budget one of the savings approved was to remove a subsidised seats scheme for post-16 students. The decision was said to save £1m a year.

The letter from QEGS and Ullwater's deputy headteacher Nick Ellery said: "Both schools wish to impress on parents that any delay, lack of capacity or lack of clarity is not due to the schools, but to Cumbria County Council’s decision to cut post-16 transport provision."

They also claimed it was due to further cuts in a transport team.

It also mentioned a scheme involving sixth form students.

The letter added: "It has become obvious to senior leaders in both schools over the past 18 months that Cumbria County Council do not have the capacity to run their Spare Seat Scheme without a good deal of input from the schools.

"At a time when school budgets are more pressed than ever and in a climate where students are expected to remain in education until they are 18, this has placed a large financial burden on our schools, which in urban areas simply would not be the case.

"It has also become apparent that the continued mismanagement and reactive nature of Cumbria County Council in terms of school transport has led to a high degree of stress and anxiety for students and their families, at a time when their focus should be on starting or continuing their sixth form programmes of study."

Defending its position, the authority said there is no statutory entitlement to post-16 school transport.

But it said it recognises the challenges in Cumbria and continues to work with schools to offer spare seats on routes that are not entirely used by under 16s with a transport entitlement.

A council spokesman said: “The council has been working very closely with representatives of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and Ullswater Community College since last August to determine where seats can be offered and where there may potentially be issues, so the remarks made in the letter to parents are disappointing.

"Both schools are fully aware that there will be movement on these figures over the summer period due to some parents not yet having made final choices.

"The council is currently looking in detail at all routes to identify what, if any changes, can be made to accommodate requests, and had already agreed with the schools to provide an update by August 17."

For the past few years sixth form students have not been guaranteed a seat on school transport but have had to buy a seat under the council's Spare Seat Scheme. For the Penrith schools in 2017/2018 the cost is £400.