School is too far away

[ClementDrive]

A friend has asked me for advice. She has a daughter aged 8 with SEN and PDA. My friend does not drive and her local authority have recently placed her daughter at a school 15 miles away after her previous school closed down.

The only route by public transport takes the best part of two hours and involves two buses and three ten minute walks. My friend is obviously unwilling to let her child travel by herself but she can't travel with her child to and from school due to her work commitments. Her request for transport to and from school has been declined. Does anyone have any experience of a similar situation and/or any suggestions as to the best way forward?

It's been a while since I worked in specialist SEN provision, and I know some of the rules have changed unfortunately.

This might be a good place to start: educationadvocacy.co.uk/sen-transport/

There is an important distinction of children having a journey without great stress or difficulty. Could your friend use this as leverage?

I'm sure someone with more up to date knowledge on this will be along soon. Good luck to her!

She needs to investigate why the transport has been turned down. This is often a taxi.

I’d get the local SEN education support service involved to help push for school transport - she must be entitled to it.

All of the above and also have a look at the LA policy on school transport which should be on their website, with clear information.

I don't know which LA but this is the first guidance that came up through ‘google’. She needs to find the same policy/guidance for her own LA, check that she meets the criteria and appeal the decision if she does.

https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs-and-disability/transport/school-transport-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send

Thanks everyone, I had not realised that it was the responsibility of the local authority to arrange transport. I had assumed it was discretionary.

If she has an EHCP and the school was agreed with the LA, it is absolutely their responsibility to provide transport.

The LA should provide a taxi/school bus. Why has her request been declined?

Whether that transport is actually suitable in practice for your friend and her DC seems to be totally random, but on the information you’ve given, the child should be entitled to some form of transport.

Going through the paperwork I have been given, there is nothing from the council in writing. However apparently the reason given was that they were unable to accommodate the flexible start and finish times as suggested by the EHCP.

That will be cost based. If she starts later than others, this requires a single taxi every day, just for her. Maybe some adjustment to the EHCP can be made which would help the cost implications.

Unfortunately LA budgets are strapped. This government is not providing enough funding and transport budgets are massively overspent.