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.

Lots of autistic people could walk two miles and back every day, but I think it's reasonable to suppose - given that he is affected badly enough by the condition to not be in mainstream education - that OP's son might not be in that category.

The taxi would be about five minutes, not one hour. It’s 2 miles away.

When my DS went to a special school for secondary, we taught him to catch the bus. We taught him in stages - the bus stop he caught it from, the journey with me and getting off at the right stop and the return journey. The journey with us part of the way- one of us meeting him at the right stop, then him catching it back on his own with us meeting him off the bus. Finally he did the whole thing.

We did these practices on a Saturday but using the times he needed to catch it.

I also made a laminated card thatched, 'DS has a learning disability, autism and epilepsy. His epilepsy is controlled by medication. If he gives you this card, he is upset and unable to cope with the situation. Please call this number immediately.'

He used the card once, when a lovely man called me because the tram had broken down.

By the time he went to college, he could catch 2 buses or a bus and a tram and could tell you about any bus route. He sometimes rang me because there was a problem but he learned that sometimes things happen and we havecto find a different way.

It has given him real freedom and confidence, despite his lifelong challenges.

Except that they are wrong. DLA is not for school transport. The funding available for DLA is calculated on the basis that the local authority will comply with its statutory duties and provide home to school transport, so DLA covers other things including transport for doctors' and hospital appointments etc.

Why do you think he is going to an SEN school?

My sons SEN school do that in year 10 and 11. Lots of chikdren at SEN school are developmentally much younger.

I agree.

I do wonder, how do people think the rest of us cope with getting children to their various schools and nurseries, commutes, holding down jobs etc.

We have to make changes to accommodate, even when it’s hugely inconvenient, time consuming and frustrating.

OP don't go into detail explaining why you can't drive you don't owe anyone anything. Especially not people who are so fucking ignorant they think having a disability means you scrounge of the tax payer simply because they need some help with transport. DLA isn't as much as people seem to think it is. A taxi for an hour your taking over £50 doing that for a week is DLA for the whole month gone. It is absolutely ridiculous how people comment on stuff they have absolutely no idea how it works.

Im pretty sure that the distance thing doesnt come into it if he cant safely travel to school independently ?

Once you know for certain he has a place in the school then I'm sure they will do their best to help. I've known students who live less than 3 miles be approved for transport. People need to understand ND children can't do things their peers can. Best of luck. Xxx

Have you tried the charity IPSEA at all? They have great advice for parents in your situation - they can make sure you know what your boy is entitled to, in terms of access to education including transport

Your son was entitled to home to school transport whilst you were going through this process. Did he have it?

What has happened is that local authorities have a legal responsibility to provide transport to school for children whose needs are such that the local mainstream is not appropriate,

this has been law for many many years.

i have taught severely autistic children and teens for over twenty years and this has always been the case.

I have also been involved with travel training for these teens which involves teaching them to walk short distances without getting overwhelmed by anxiety and going into public places without getting overwhelmed by anxiety.

very few autistic children whose needs are such that they are in special school are capable of independent travel.

Please ignore the haters OP, there’s seems to be a lot of bitter people on here, especially against people claiming any kind of disability benefit. most clearly have no idea what it’s like having a SEN child, especially one that qualified for a SEN school. I think you just need to give evidence of why they can’t walk alone? I may be wrong but as you don’t drive they’ll have to take that into consideration also. Good luck.

In our authority he was entitled to a bus pass. That was it.

What a horrible, unkind post. You have absolutely no idea.

The threshold for getting a place at a specialist SEN school is usually very high. They try and get as many children into mainstream as humanly possible.The children who attend these schools do not and many will never have "low level life skills".

Would you allow your 6/7 year old to travel just under 3 miles to school independently? No? This is the level of ability the OP's son will be at. Maybe when he is about age 14/15 she MIGHT be able to start the process/trusting him.

Sounds like you need to educate yourself. Some people who are disabled can't do those simple low level skills and it's so ignorant to make someone feel shit that their kid can't do that.

I would ask for this thread to be moved to the SEN board under education, you'll get more reasonable replies.

I would assume the taxi wss paid for via the LA.

Hi; as a mum with an autistic child I can strongly relate. No sense of awareness, no road safety, no sense of danger.

I think perhaps as OP have suggested you may need to use the DLA for travel expenses if they aren’t automatically covered by the school, unfortunately your nursery children’s timetable conflicting with older child is no one’s responsibility but your own.

If your son can’t travel independently, which is completely understandable, and they aren’t willing to pay; then you have to either travel with him or find a family member to do so. It’s not their responsibility, if you’ve got the means.

also, don’t get the post deleted but just ask MN to move it to the SEN board where some people with better understanding and similar experiences might be able to help or offer further advice.

The problem is, and as with the cost of many benefits, the numbers of claimants is growing, and the cost is becoming unsustainable.

£2.3b was spent in 2024 on ~470,000 pupils using taxis to get to school, at a cost of ~£9,000 each.

While I think we can all see the rationale behind some children having access to this service, the scale of it is not sustained and in examples like the OP I think many people would query if this is truly needed vs convenience for the parents… I know that will get some reactions, but that is what happens when these systems are exploited to the point of collapse (which is where we currently are).

The rest of us without disabled children are in the happy situation of being able to send them off on their own by the time they reach secondary school age. We have children who won't become immensely distressed at small changes to routine, and can manage with things like asking for directions. They can be taken into school by friends and relatives in emergencies, whereas frequently that simply isn't a responsibility you can put on a friend or relative when you have a child with learning difficulties severe enough to merit a special school place.

There is no inconvenience you are suffering which remotely equates to looking after a severely disabled child, potentially for the rest of your life. It certainly doesn't equate to being that disabled child, either.

I understand this. My 22 year old autistic son has come to a similar conclusion. He would be a danger to homself and others on the road.

My sons SEN school is about 2.5 miles away he travels via a mini bus it tskes about an hour with all the drop off offs and pick ups.

I used to work as LSA 1-2-1 with young people with SEN and transport can be an absolute nightmare subject to the whim and finances of the LA. First you need to gather evidence. The schools and your child's support/TA should help you. Plus any social workers, doctors etc. Also if necessary contact your local councillors and MP. Last resort use the local press.

Sorry but you have to keep fighting and make a total nuisance of yourself and when you do get it sorted keep watch that it doesn't get changed without you being aware of it and that the transport people know the exact extent of your son's disability. The last young lady I supported ended up being dropped off at the wrong place because the new taxi service, didn't have the correct information.

I am sure this isn’t helpful, but my mother didn’t drive and when I was young she had a bike with a trailer that fastened on the back and she transported us that way. By the time I was 7 my dad took me to school on the back of a tandem bike. Could you both cycle together?