Contents
- Alternative Provision
- Annual Review
- Appeals & Mediation
- Attendance/Not in full time education
- Benefits
- Complaints
- Disability Discrimination
- Education other than in school/college
- Education, Health and Care Plans
- Exclusions
- Health
- How should the Local Authority help
- Neurodiversity
- Personal Budgets
- SEN Support in nurseries, schools and colleges
- Service Families
- Social Care
- Transport
- Year 6 Transition
- Young People’s Page
Transport
Under 5’s
Are not automatically entitled to transport to an early years setting or school.
If your child attends an early years settings, your local authority can use its discretion to provide transport for your child.
If your LA refuses to provide transport and you feel that it is necessary then you could appeal against its decision.
5-16yr olds
Local authorities are required to arrange free, suitable, home to school transport for children of who are ‘eligible’, to their nearest suitable qualifying school.
If your child has special educational needs (SEN), a disability or mobility problems which means they cannot walk to school, then they are an ‘eligible child’ as long as the local authority has not made suitable arrangements for your child to go to a nearer school.
Children are also ‘eligible’ if:
- They go to a school beyond the statutory walking distance from their home (2miles for under 8yrs, 3miles for 8yrs+ and,
- Their local authority has not made suitable arrangements for your child to go to a nearer school
The local authority must also make provide transport for a child to children who are eligible for certain benefits.
16-19yr olds
There is no legal duty requiring a local authority (LA) to provide free school or college transport to a young person.
However, where a young person is of ‘sixth form age’ and attends school or college, the law does require LAs to have a ‘Transport Policy Statement’. You should be able to find your LA’s Transport Policy Statement on its website and/or in its Local Offer.
Over 19yrs
Local authorities have certain duties to provide transport to ‘adult learners’ where it considers it ‘necessary’. The local authority must publish its post 16 transport policy which will detail its approach to providing transport for adult learners. If you are an adult learner with an EHC plan, then this could well strengthen the argument that travel arrangements are ‘necessary’ for you. Your LA has a duty to secure the special educational provision set out in Section F of your EHC plan and will have real difficulty doing so if you can’t get to college to access that provision.
Click here for more information on home to school transport from Hampshire County Council.