Date published: 2024-03-12 | Category: Transport and Development, Schools, Colleges and Learning, Giving people a bigger say, Delivering for local residents
School travel support eligibility for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Bath and North East Somerset is under review.
Parents and carers are being asked for their views on an updated policy to support the best way for pupils to travel to and from school.
Bath & North East Somerset Council is consulting on a review of its SEND Home to School Travel Policy to clarify eligibility criteria and make travel support choices clearer for families, in response to new government guidance published last year.
Around 520 children and young people with SEND in B&NES currently receive home to school travel support which costs the council £4.3million per year.
This includes many children who travel to school and other educational establishments using taxis, which in some cases are costing more than £300 a day, per child.
The council has not reviewed its policy for travel arrangements since 2016. The proposals aim to ensure that support offered to children with SEND is applied fairly and bring it into line with that offered by other local authorities.
Children may be eligible for support under the new policy if they are attending the nearest suitable school, cannot walk even when accompanied and have a medical condition that affects travel. Each child would be assessed for eligibility on an individual basis.
There would also be more guidance on how families can get the most out of personal travel budgets, including shared travel with other parents or paying for escorts.
The consultation runs until May 7. Details of face-to-face drop-in events are listed below.
The council has written to parents and carers who currently receive SEND Home to School Travel support with information about the consultation and how to get involved.
Councillor Paul May, cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “We have not reviewed our SEND travel policy for many years and we need to make sure it helps children, parents and carers receive the right levels of help within the funding we have available. Given the significant and rising expenditure on SEND travel which we are seeing locally and across the whole country, I want to ensure our budgets for this are both sustainable and deliver the best possible support in the most appropriate way.”
If approved in a single member decision later this year, the new criteria would begin to be applied from September 2024.
The in-person drop-in events are as follows:
- March 12, 6pm to 8pm, Keynsham Community Space
- March 19, 6pm to 8pm, Chew Magna Baptist Church, Chew Magna – B&NES Parent Carer Forum.
- March 21, 5.30pm to 7.30pm, Fosseway School, Westfield - B&NES Parent Carer Forum.
- Families will be able to speak with council officers about the policy at these three events and get assistance with filling in the online form or giving feedback in other ways. A British Sign Language interpreter will be provided where possible.
- March 15, 10am to 12am, Batheaston New Village Hall, Batheaston – B&NES Parent Carer Forum.
- April 17, 10am to 12am, The Soap Bar Cafe, Clutton - B&NES Parent Carer Forum.
A printed copy of the survey, information in another language or format including audio, braille or large print can be requested via email at SENDtravel_consultation@bathnes.gov.uk or by calling Council Connect on 01225 394041.
The consultation relates only to SEND travel support and the new policy will not affect the council’s mainstream and post-16 travel policies. These policies can be found on the school transport webpage.
ENDS