How to apply – SEN post 16 travel assistance
Please be sure to read in full the post 16 transport statement before applying to make sure you understand and meet the entitlement criteria.
Parents and young people who wish to apply for assistance under the post 16 travel the scheme, regardless of whether they are already in receipt of travel assistance currently, should submit an application.
An application for travel assistance should be submitted by 30 June 2023. It cannot be guaranteed that eligible applications received after this date will receive travel assistance from the beginning of September and students will be responsible for making their own arrangements, including the financing of those arrangements, until travel assistance is arranged. Where the student meets criteria, travel assistance will be subject to an annual financial contribution.
What happens after I submit my application form?
The SEND Assessment and Planning Service will assess your application against the entitlement criteria as detailed above, based upon the information you have provided in your application. This process usually takes up to 20 working days after the application form has been received.
If your application is not successful, you will be sent a letter explaining the decision made and be provided with details of the review/appeal process.
If your application is successful, it will be forwarded to SEN Transport Team. They will issue you with an invoice for the contribution due and once paid (or a completed direct debit mandate is received) will then advise you of the details of the travel assistance arrangements. For September travel requests, providing you have submitted your request before the closing date detailed above, you will be notified of the arrangements being made by 25 August.
If you have not been notified of your arrangements by this date please contact the Customer Services Team on:
0300 111 8000
or email contactus@staffordshire.gov.uk .
Due to extremely high workload at this time of year, please do not contact to chase your arrangements before this date.
Staffordshire County Council will determine the suitability and type of travel assistance provided. This will be based upon the student’s needs and abilities, balancing reasonable costs and reasonable travel/waiting times to enable access to the place of learning for the general start/finish times of the establishment and not necessarily the student’s own session times.
Students using shared transport may be required to arrive before their own sessions begin and stay after they end to accommodate other students using the route. Additional journeys will not be arranged to fit around differences in student timetables.
Please note the Council’s normal practice is to add and remove students from contracted routes without consultation with parents, but for SEN pupils we would advise the school before the change takes place.