Apply for home to school SEND transport

Where a child has special educational needs travel assistance is available to pupils who:

• are a resident of Warwickshire;
• are in school year 11 or below;
• have a maintained statement of special educational needs or an EHC plan

and

• Have a placement at a Specialist Assessment Nursery

or

• Have a placement at their nearest qualifying special school as selected by the County Council and named on the child's Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan

or

• Have a placement at a designated Specialist Resource Provision

or

• Have a placement at their nearest qualifying mainstream school as named in the Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

and

The placement should be:

• Over 2 miles away for pupils under the age of 8
• Over 3 miles away for pupils aged 8-16

For children who receive free school meals or whose parents are in receipt of maximum Working Tax Credit, the distance from their home address to the nearest suitable school must be:

• More than two miles for pupils aged 8 – 11 years
• Between two and six miles for pupils aged 11 – 16 years (providing that there are not three or more suitable nearer schools)
• Between two and fifteen miles for pupils aged 11 – 16 years and is the nearest school preferred on the grounds of religion or belief

or

• The Pupil has been assessed (by a WCC Risk Assessor) as having mobility difficulties or health and safety issues related to a disability or special educational needs that makes it impractical to safely walk to school.

Accompaniment

It is the responsibility of those with parental responsibility to make suitable arrangements to ensure that their child is accompanied on walking routes to school, if it is considered by the parents that the child's age, ability and levels of understanding make this necessary. The Authority will therefore not provide transport solely because parents have not made such arrangements, unless there is good reason. Such reasons may include where disability means that no parent is available to accompany the pupil along a walking route to school. In circumstances such as this, parents will be responsible for providing supporting evidence and it may be necessary to seek guidance from relevant professional agencies.

Production of evidence is no guarantee of free transport and each case will be assessed on an individual basis. It is the general position of the Authority that parents are expected to manage ensuring that their children are accompanied to school alongside any work commitments that they may have.

For those who meet these criteria, you may be offered one of the following:

• Direct Travel Payment to assist you in transporting your child yourself (normally only provided where no WCC transport exists)
• School bus pass (if available)
• Public bus pass (if available)
• Other transport vehicle

To apply please complete the Home to School SEN Transport Application Form (SEND).

Please be aware that travel assistance may take up to 15 working days to arrange from the date your application is processed.

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