Sen transport to school stressing me saying ds is not eligible

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We live 2.2 miles away from the Sen high school ds is starting this September. The threshold for transport is 3 miles, if you live in this you may not be eligible for transport. They now want evidence of why ds cannot walk the 1 hour journey to and from school, other than his diagnosis of autism and not being able to walk this journey alone what else am I meant to provide ?!
He already receives transport to his Sen primary in which we live just under the 2 miles threshold.

I don’t drive so am not able to take ds to school, ds dad works and cannot be available twice a day to take ds and pick him up. We also have 2 toddlers who need to be in nursery for 9am.

I am so so stressed out, also I cannot get in touch with anyone from the send team, they still haven’t told me ds has got a place at the high school, I emailed and rang numerous time, all ignored, in the end I had to phone the actual high school and ask if ds was on the list. Please help.

I think you should ask if DS can be dropped off a bit earlier so you can travel by taxi and then take little ones to nursery.

Or can you learn to drive?

Most Sen schools try to teach this in year 10/year 11.

it’s harder than you might think!

Not an immediate solution, but can you learn to drive?

This is what my son already gets to and from primary school. There is a PA in the car at all times.

I'm guessing the reason she can't walk with him is she'd have to push/wheel/drag two toddlers along for 2 miles too. Unfortunately I don't think that will be taken into account.

You don’t need to interpret the view that parents have some responsibility to take their child to school as hate for disabled people.

If your DS is entitled to transport based on his own needs rather than the needs of his parents and siblings, then you will be able to find the evidence to back it up.

Do you have Ed Psychology reports that talk about his sense of danger, or anything in school reports or on his EHCP?

As a Sen mother, I think the issue is you keep saying "he's autistic" but that alone doesn't demonstrate why he can't walk. Obviously in the real world it's bloody ridiculous to walk and hour for a typical child. Things like, no safety awareness, unable to follow directions, anxiety around doing this alone, lack of understanding or confidence would be better than saying "he's autistic".

Hi OP I work in a related field and have my own Autistic kids at home -mine do walk to school but it's literally around the corner and is a mainstream with a SEND unit so very different. For posters who are saying just book a Taxi.. that would be very hard for OP as If it's like round here all the suitable firms with training etc have school contracts already. There has been some good advice about writing like a journal of evidence OP maybe a statement of support from old school or any other professionals Longer term, is driving something you want to do as some carers charities can help fund driving lessons if that's something you wanted to do.

Why can’t you learn to drive, OP?

OP I see that your DH works but why can't he drop son off on his way to work then you go and get him at the end of the day?

Why don't you learn to drive?

How is your son going to learn to get about when you and DH are no longer around?

Learning to drive can take years. Took me two years and then a year just to get a test then I failed anyway. Plus £40 an hour lesson.

Are there no longer the week long courses with driving test at the end? Used to exist many years ago

The OP best get started then because in the coming years there will be many other instances where she doesn't get her preferred form of transport immediately laid on - courtesy of the taxpayer - just by asking for it.

Learning to drive might not be an option due to cost and time etc. Dad doing drop off and picks ups isn't realistic if he works full time. A taxi is just a no. I wouldn't put a child in a taxi alone for an hour with a random person when they have additional needs. Christ some of you have some really like unthoughtful ideas. I would speak to the sendias team, use his ehcp to reinforce his needs support not being able to walk that's distance. Also think logically if he gets unwell and needs to go home is he going to manage a walk for a hour or will they accept you turning up to get him over an hour later.

People have no idea, OP. None whatsoever. Ignore them.

People, the child is in a special school. Do you know the level of disability that involves? Do you know how hard it is to meet those criteria? Buy him a bike?! Send him on his own in a taxi? Are people really this clueless?

’That’s what DLA is for’ - no, it is not. This is an education issue and he should be provided either transport. People also have no idea how stressful this is and the impact of having to fight for every little thing.

Evidence… his autism diagnosis report is likely to have some helpful info in there about the nature of his needs. Read it, and highlight the relevant bits, about his sense of danger, vulnerability, anxiety, etc.

His low rate DLA award in itself is evidence. He has been awarded this because he needs significant mobility support, which is likely to mean supervision outdoors and support to navigate transport.

His primary school reports might detail some things to highlight and if not, they might be able to support your application. Is there any reference to transport in his EHCP? The level of supervision he needs? This is all evidence.

I don’t think you’re getting any hate at all! People are merely pointing out that he gets DLA and that money should be used for transport rather than insisting that the local authority pay.

or as others have said, learn to drive!

I tried to find one of those for my daughter and gave up in the end.

if anyone does know of any in east Anglia I’d be grateful!

Such a vile comment. FYI I have tried learning to drive 5 different times over the last 10 years, I am also neurodivergent and am a bloody danger to myself and others on the road due to my lack of coordination and my struggle to process thoughts and steps in my mind. I have crashed a car during my lessons, I am not comfortable driving so therefore won’t do it.

You need to take a bit more ownership in finding a solution here OP, beyond ‘I need a taxi’.

What time does your DH start work? What time can your DS be at school from? He could be dropped off v early.

Do any other local children take the bus? Could they go together? Could you do pick ups if someone else can do drop offs?

What about the nursery. You say they need to be dropped off by 9. What time does it open? Round here it’s 730/8 usually, so you could drop them first then take your DS on the bus?

Finally… maybe it is time to learn to drive. With three children needing to be at different locations, clubs, friends etc - it’s going to be very useful for the whole family if you are able to do so.

I take my baby to nursery first (opens first) which takes 15 mins, then we walk to school (another 15 mins) then I commute to work (45-60mins). We get up earlier than I’d like but it’s the only way to make it work.

A taxi for 2.2 miles is not an hour's drive. Its about 5 - 10 min each way.

I would suggest you talk to a taxi company that does these sorts of fares and take the taxi with him for a week or so. If he has the same driver reliably then it should become possible for him to take the taxi alone. What time does the school start? If necessary you take the younger children and drop them off on the way home.

You are going to have to be level headed here.

• DH will have to make adjustments so that he either does drop off or pick up
• The other journey will have to be taxi.

Your DS won’t be on his own for an hour if it’s 2.2 miles. That’s a 5 minute journey.

Use the summer, to put into practice what your DS needs to do. For example, contact a taxi company, build a relationship, do some practice journeys.

Can you get evidence from his current school of all the issues you are talking about? I suspect they will be able to confirm that he does not have adequate awareness of road safety and stranger danger, is very anxious, would get lost, would not cope with public transport etc etc. Also is there anything in the reports attached to the EHCP, e.g. from an educational psychologist or occupational therapist? Your GP might also be able to help. Is your son involved with CAMHS at all? Again, a report from them may be useful.

It is also worth suggesting to the transport team that they carry out a full risk assessment, e.g. sending someone like an educational psychologist to follow him on the journey in question at the time he would normally do it (i.e. in the rush hour) to see if he would cope.

It could be worth telling them you are happy for your son to have travel training when he is settled in school, given that presumably it is in his own interests to learn to travel independently. If they think there is a prospect of being able to review in a year or two, that might help.

Threads like this really drive it home as to why there is no money left for anything.

This is so commonplace now, what has happened?!

OP if you cannot learn to drive, your son doesn't qualify for his preferred form of tax payer paid transport and your DH can't take him....

....then you're going to have to walk him yourself.

The toddler thing is tricky, but realistically what other option is there?

People, the child is in a special school. Do you know the level of disability that involves? Do you know how hard it is to meet those criteria? Buy him a bike?! Send him on his own in a taxi? Are people really this clueless?

Yes, unfortunately, they really are clueless. If he has difficulties with understanding how to cross a road, how on Earth is he supposed to understand how to navigate traffic on a bike. Unbelievable.