Is there such thing as a 'travel grant' for getting to school?

[Charleesunnysunsun]

DS is at playschool 2 mornings a week which is fine at the moment becuase he's only 2 and i think thats enough for him. My mum currently drives us as we live in the middle of nowhere and there are no schools or playschools in walking distance from us.

When he is 3 his playschool have offered him a full time place as it's goverment funded i would like him to go full time i think he will be old enough then and he really loves playschool and has lots of friends that go there. The only problem is getting there as my mum can't drive us everyday nad there are no buses running at that time, i cannot afford a taxi at all as it is £18 one way to the playschool.

I figure i am going to have exactly the same problem when he starts primary school (which i know is a while off yet) but it's law that he gets an education and goes to school but how am i going to get him there? I don't drive and DP is at work at that time in the morning, we can only afford one car so even if i leart to drive it wouldn't work as DP's commuting between his 2 jobs clashes with the time DS would need to be at school.

Is there such a thing as a goverment travel grant i could get to fund a taxi or something similar?

[fortyplus]

Herts County Council provide transport if the closest school at which the child could have been awarded a place is more than 3 miles by a safe walking route (I think this might be 1 mile for children under 8). In other words if your closest school was nearer than 3 miles but you chose to go somewhere else you wouldn't get free transport.
Just check with your Local Education Authority - usually your Count Council I think.

[kittywits]

I get get one in east sussex but I have to drive 4 miles to the nearest school. They keep it quiet though, i'm not sure how I managed to find out in the first place!!

[ptmum]

You shoukd get a travel grant, aslong as you are going to your nearest school and have an offer of a place, not sure about pre-school you'll need to check!

[fennel]

It's if you live more than 2 miles by the shortest reasonable walking route, for an under-8. So if it's a dangerous country lane they'll take that into account.

I think that's a national limit, though the local council organises it.

[Loshad]

no grants for the U5's though as education is not compulsory - unless you are very lucky with your local council.

[chatee]

we live in a rural location and when my dd went to pre-school there was a grant available...
try lea education/travel for info