Children with special educational needs and disabilities
This page covers children with special educational needs and disabilities.
- Eligibility
- Elective Home Education (EHE)
- Accompaniment
- Assessments
- Parental Preference
- Nursery Aged Children
- Periodic Reviews of Transport Provision
- Number of Journeys provided
- Travel Options
- Provision of Passenger Transport Assistants (PTAs)
- Medical Intervention and administration of Medicines
- Behaviour on SEND Transport
- Pick up points
- Short breaks
Eligibility
Children with an EHC plan do not have an automatic entitlement to free school travel support. Eligibility is set out in legislation and depends on the child's individual circumstances, including their ability to walk or otherwise travel to school. A child does not need to have an EHC plan or attend a special school to qualify on the grounds of special educational needs, disability or mobility problems.
For children attending their nearest suitable mainstream school, special school, enhanced resource provision, pupil referral unit, or a school named by the local authority because it is the school able to meet their needs, free home to school travel will be provided where the child meets the Council's eligibility criteria or another statutory eligibility category.
Where a child does not qualify under the Council's distance or low-income criteria, free travel may still be provided where the Council assesses that the child could not reasonably be expected to walk to school because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, even if accompanied.
Elective Home Education (EHE)
If parents have elected to educate their child at home, the local authority has no general duty to provide transport to education provision chosen by the parent.
Accompaniment
In determining whether a child can reasonably be expected to walk to school, the Council will consider whether they could walk if accompanied and, if so, whether it is reasonable to expect their parent to accompany them. Individual circumstances which may make accompaniment unreasonable will be considered.
A child will not normally be eligible solely because a parent's work commitments or caring responsibilities mean they are unable to accompany the child. The Council will, however, consider each case on its individual circumstances.
Assessments
All applications will be assessed individually in accordance with this policy and current Department for Education statutory guidance. A Council officer may ask to meet the family and child to understand travel needs and plan longer-term options.
The Council may consider:
- Age and maturity of the child.
- Ability and aptitude of the child.
- Any special educational needs, disability or mobility problems.
- The distance and safety of the route, including whether it could be walked if accompanied.
- Relevant individual circumstances affecting whether a parent can reasonably accompany the child.
- The most appropriate travel option.
- Whether the child needs support from a passenger transport assistant.
Parental Preference
Parents have the right to ask for a particular school to be named in their child's EHC plan. Where the preferred school is further away than another suitable school, the Council may take the additional cost of travel into account when deciding whether naming the preferred school would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.
Where appropriate, a preferred school may be named on the condition that the parent arranges or contributes to travel. Any such implications will be explained before a final decision is made.
Nursery Aged Children
Transport support is generally provided for children of compulsory school age. Children with SEND below compulsory school age who are attending specialist provision may be considered for discretionary support on an individual basis.
Periodic Reviews of Transport Provision
The Council will review individual travel arrangements for existing and future applicants. The type or mode of travel offered may therefore change as a child's needs, abilities or circumstances change.
Routine assessments and reviews will consider opportunities to develop independent living and travel skills. Additional reviews may take place at key transition points or where progress can reasonably be made over a period of weeks or months.
Number of Journeys provided
For children attending school daily:
- One journey at the start of the school day.
- One journey at the end of the school day.
For weekly residential placements:
- One journey at the start of the school week.
- One journey at the end of the school week.
For termly residential placements:
- One journey at the start of each half term.
- One journey at the end of each half term.
Travel Options
Travel assistance will be suitable for the child and need not always be a minibus or taxi. Options may include:
- A mileage payment to enable a parent/carer to transport their child, currently paid at 60p per mile for 2 return journeys per day where agreed.
- Independent travel training through York Independent Living and Travel Skills (YILTS).
- A bespoke personal transport budget where appropriate.
- Other creative solutions agreed with the family to support safe travel.
Provision of Passenger Transport Assistants (PTAs)
- A passenger transport assistant is not routinely provided. A PTA may be provided where the needs of the route or an individual child make this necessary.
- Individual PTA support will normally only be provided where there is substantial evidence that the child may be at risk or may pose a risk to others without supervision.
- Requests should be supported by relevant evidence, including risk assessment information and strategies previously tried where appropriate.
- Any PTA provision will be kept under review by the transport team.
Medical Intervention and administration of Medicines
- Transport crews are not routinely medically trained or able to administer medication. In a medical emergency they will normally call 999 and follow emergency advice.
- Where a child requires specific medical support during transport, an individual transport medical plan may be agreed with the family, school and relevant health professionals.
- The plan will identify the training required, who will provide it and the contingency arrangements if the trained member of staff is unavailable.
- Where necessary, a PTA will receive appropriate training from an agreed health professional.
Behaviour on SEND Transport
- Parents/carers are asked to provide relevant information about behaviours, triggers and de-escalation strategies so journeys can be planned safely.
- Where behaviour creates a risk, the Council will work with the family, school and operator to identify reasonable strategies and adjustments.
- Withdrawal of transport will be a last resort and will take full account of the child's special educational needs or disability. Where the child remains eligible for free travel, the Council will consider how its statutory duty can be met in an alternative suitable way.
Pick up points
Where a specified pick-up point is part of the agreed travel arrangements, parents/carers are responsible for taking their child to and collecting them from that point. Any requested change of point or address must be agreed in advance and may be subject to a charge where it creates an additional cost and the change is discretionary.
Short breaks
The home to school travel duty does not extend to transport to and from short break centres or carers. Short breaks transport must be agreed through Children's Social Care arrangements. Parents will normally be expected to arrange transport unless there are exceptional reasons why they cannot do so.