Under 16 Education travel policy

A ‘suitable’ school is one which provides education appropriate to the age, ability, aptitude and sex of the pupil, and any Special Educational Needs that the pupil may have. This could be within or outside of Staffordshire, a two or three tier school, and a faith or non-faith school. The fact that a school does not offer a specific subject, specialism or exam board does not make it unsuitable. Please note the  nearest school for admissions purposes may not be the nearest school for travel assistance to be considered.

‘Suitable school’ does not mean the most suitable school for a child. Schools are able to meet a wide range of needs. The nearest secondary school to the home of a child of secondary school age, for example, will almost always be their nearest suitable school (provided it would be able to admit them).

For all pupils we will use the calculated shortest walking route to determine which is the closest school(s) - this route may not be one available to be walked. We will then use the calculated shortest available walking route distance (if this differs) to determine if travel assistance is to be provided. The nearest school can change over time as new schools are opened or closed, schools change their age range, as pupils move between the ranges covered by 2 and 3 tier schools, or as the road network is updated.

Following Department for Education guidance, when considering which is the ‘nearest’ school we will check to see if a place would have reasonably been available at the school for the child at either –

1. The point that they moved address or school (where they move during the academic year) or
2. The point that the school place was offered for them to join the school in September as part of the usual admissions round (e.g,  Reception starters, transition to secondary school in September) we will check if the child would have likely been offered a place under the school’s admissions arrangements.

This will apply regardless of how long after the pupil started at the school the transport application is received. If a parent did not make an application for a nearer suitable or their catchment area school, but  would likely have been offered a place, had they applied, then it will still be considered as the ‘nearest’ or catchment area school under the transport policy. Please note our school route checker cannot determine if a school is the nearest with a place, only if it is geographically the nearest school.

If a parent rejected an offer of a place at any nearer school, the nearer school is still considered as ‘suitable’. When a parent chooses a school, which is neither the catchment area or nearest school, or to which there is no entitlement under low-income grounds, they remain responsible for arranging and funding their child’s travel to school as they feel is necessary.

A child or young person may have an EHCP or attends a specialist education establishment, but that does not automatically mean they are eligible for travel assistance or have a special transport need. If the pupil is below the walking distance limit and is able to safely walk to school (accompanied as necessary, with the parent/carer being responsible for arranging that accompaniment), then they are not eligible for travel assistance. 

For a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan, the school named in a child’s plan will usually be considered their nearest suitable school when assessing eligibility for travel assistance, subject to the exception set out below:

Where a parent would prefer their child to attend a school that is further away from their home than the nearest school that would be able to meet their needs, the local authority will consider whether transporting the child to the preferred school would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources. They should determine the cost of providing the child with free travel to each of the two schools. If it would cost more to transport the child to the preferred school, the authority will decide whether the additional cost of providing travel to the parent’s preferred school is incompatible with the efficient use of resources, this will include deciding whether the educational benefits and other advantages the school will provide for the child outweigh the additional cost. This work will be carried out by your Key Worker as part of the EHCP process.

If the authority determines that providing travel to the parent’s preferred school would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources, the local authority may name the nearer school, or name the parent’s preferred school on the condition that the parent arranges the travel or provides some, or all the cost of the travel. Should you have any query regarding the named school within the EHCP, please contact your Key Worker.