SEN Transport question (posted here for traffic)

[WeywardCrow]

Hi all,

DS is 13 and has diagnoses of ASD, SPD, anxiety and depression. He has an EHCP which names a school we are reasonably happy with.

The issue is that the Transport being provided to and from school is completely unsuitable and I wondered if anyone had any words of advice? We live in South Norfolk and DS is picked up at 7.40am. He goes via the east of Norwich to pick up child A and then via a town in the Broads to pick up child B. Yesterday was the first day of his new route. He was in the car for about 4 hours in total and by the time he got home was very distressed, felt car sick and was just exhausted. It was incredibly difficult to get him into the cab this morning. Again picked up at 7.40 and arrived 20 minutes late to school at 9.20.

The Transport team have said he just needs to be picked up even earlier which we just can’t agree to. DS is beside himself and exhausted and we know from last year when he was picked up just before 8 that he was just about able to manage that.

What on earth do we do? I know the 75 minute maximum travel time is just a guideline but does anyone know what legislation/case law this is based on? Anyone got any idea how best to address this? I suspect we just won’t be able to get him to school again until the route is made shorter again. Which means the LA funding additional transport but that really is not something I can do anything about.

(And just as a mini rant, dear god, but I have two autistic kids who attend different specialist schools and how the fuck I keep other aspects of my life going as well as making sure they get some sort of an education is a chuffing mystery to me)

Thanks for any words of advice/support.

Children with an EHCP make up around 5% of school aged children. The vast majority of them are capable of growing up and undertaking meaningful work. This can only happen if they receive a full education. Without that, they grow up to receive PiP and Universal Credit at an enhanced rate ….

for their entire lives.

you tell me what you’d rather pay for … transport that meets their needs and gets them to school in a state to learn or £728 a month (excluding housing costs) Universal credit and £800 a month PIP for the lifetime of a disabled adult?

These children are the neediest 5% of all school children. Bit of a punch in the gut alone to be told that about your child

If a family earned £3000 and said they were 'going bankrupt' and blamed the £50 they spent on petrol, wouldn't you think they'd missed something?

That's the equivalent. The SEN transport bill is not the issue.

Its also not the fault of the council who are not given enough money to meet the statutory needs placed upon them?

Do you actually realise what that budget has to cover 😳😳😳
Think policing, fire services, education, social care, childrens services, street lighting and cleaning, refuse collection, libraries and leisure services... And a lot more.
I'm actually really surprised that as much as nearly 2% of it is going on transporting a tiny tiny proportion of children to school. Which of the things above would you like to see reduced in favour of putting more in the pot for transporting a tiny minority of children to school?

Anything that is discretionary, not statutory

You seem to be under a misapprehension that this is somehow an optional extra. It is not. Councils have a statutory responsibility to provide it - along with most of the other items on your list which are also statutory.

Examples of discretionary spending are sport and recreation, economic development, business support, town twinning visits, all other non-statutory service provision

Something that isn't required by law. Suitable education is a legal right. Transport to that suitable education is also a legal right.

The LA has two options: Provide a school in statutory travelling distance that meets the need of the child, or pay for transport to one that does.

My LA is building a new SEMH special school. Presumably because it's paying £40,000-90,000 for every child that it's sending to independent specialist schools because it doesn't have a maintained school that is suitable.

This tiny proportion of children are the ones who need specialist provision.