Moving school for reasons other than moving address
If a child moves to another school or educational establishment other than due to a house move, travel assistance would not normally be offered unless the ‘General eligibility criteria’ or ‘low-income’ criteria are met.
If a child has been placed into an alternative establishment for provision of their education (for example, a Pupil Referral Unit) the service responsible for the move should consider if travel assistance will be offered.
If a child becomes ‘dual registered’ for example as part of a managed move or an off-site direction, we expect that the parents and the school or service arranging that placement would consider and agree how the journey would be made to the secondary learning establishment. Should the secondary placement then become the main registered base for the pupil, travel assistance would only be provided if the general criteria (nearest suitable or catchment school) or low-income criteria are met.
If travel assistance is being requested as it is claimed that the child has moved school because they were being bullied, the following would be required before travel assistance is considered -
- Written confirmation from the Head Teacher of the original school that all efforts had been made to address the issue, and that they feel it is in the best interest of the child that they should transfer to a new school; and
- Written recommendation from at least one other professional (such as Education Welfare Worker or Educational Psychologist) that the child should transfer; and
- The school being transferred to is the next nearest school to the home address with an available place and you live over walking distance from the school.
Each request will be considered on its own merits. The additional costs involved will be taken into consideration.
