Sen transport to school stressing me saying ds is not eligible

[downloadtoad]

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 mean, it's nothing to do with them?

All of us with multiple children have to figure out how to manage their various schedules that take them in various directions. Even if there is a school bus, the fact that the timing is no good for my other kids makes zero difference, they aren't going to change the time or give me a taxi.

This is why the OP is getting these answers I think, some of the reasons she can't do it are in no way the responsibility of the system.

If 2 miles or whatever is the limit for walkers, it may well be they expect her to walk him if he can't walk alone. The fact that she has toddlers is totally irrelevant. Their father may need to drop them.

Can you walk with him to drop off at nursery at 8ish, then continue on to school? Do a similar thing in reverse at the end of the day.

If his DLA includes the mobility element, it should be automatic imo. That certainly used to be the case in my LEA. It applied to the lower rate as well as the higher, because of the need for supervision.

Mind you, I wouldn't be surprised if it had changed, they seem to have cut everything to the bone over the last few years.

It would be worth getting a copy of the criteria they apply and seeing what it says. I think there should be an appeal process, unless they've found a way round that, too.

Read their transport policy through with a tooth comb and appeal based on that. They are denying loads of applications now. It's just a numbers game, it doesn't mean you can't win on appeal. You might need to rely on one of the "by discretion" clauses.

DLA mobility is specifically not for getting to school so that should work in your favour, as evidence he can't do it alone. You not driving helps.

There may be something in the policy that he must be travel trained before he is safe to go alone. He is probably not yet developmentally ready to be travel trained and you can use this to argue he should not be expected to make his own way. If he can't do that, and you both have excellent reasons why you can't take him, you might have a good chance at appeal.

It doepends on traffic
If you live in a very built up area with heavy traffic a journey of couple of miles can take a lot longer in rush hour

This is such a nasty ignorant comment.

You’ve given enough about 10 reasons why he can’t make that journey on his own. All you need to do as someone else suggested is use chat GT peter put those reasons into the letter or go to the school. They sound helpful and ask for their transition coordinator to help you do that.

Yes. My brother got a taxi by himself when he was 8 because he couldn’t walk to school (he was disabled physically for a while).

He survived the taxi journeys!

I’m not sure what OP is asking for here. She says she doesn’t want to put her son in a taxi by himself. Surely he’d be in a taxi by himself regardless of who paid for it. Or is she also asking for a support person to be laid on to accompany her son?

With regards to her son being unable to travel unaccompanied by bus (or taxi), why can’t she go on the bus with him?

i appreciate she has two toddlers and that adds to the complexity of the situation but, if she’s paying for the nursery places, why can’t she have a chat with the nursery explaining her difficulties and perhaps drop the little ones off slightly earlier or later? And, of course, there’s also the option of her husband pitching in. They’re his kids as well.

No the car journey is not for an hour, obviously. Walking is. I can’t fund a taxi twice a day 5 days a week, even if I could ds can’t go in a taxi on his own. He would freak the fuck out with a strange person driving him to school each day.

He gets a PA currently

What do u think the kids who do get transport do. They go in taxi alone each day. My daughter did at age 5

Siblings of children with SEN/disabilities really miss out. They usually end up becoming young carers and lose out both sociually and educationally. OP should not have to disrupt their nursery routine which could be detrimental to them.

Physically disabled though, assuming he didn’t have a disability like autism that causes behavioural issues like anxiety, lack of awareness etc. he needs a PA with him to go in a taxi on his own. They are there to look after them.

So are you wanting to go in the taxi with him then, with the toddlers?

Could you approach your local MP or Councillor for help? That’s what they are there for, to represent the needs of their constituents

Its meant to be a dbs checked driver and they do a course each year too. Not just a random uber driver each day. Its quite a different arrangement.

Local authority transport provides a PA, this is what ds currently has and she is lovely. It’s not upto the driver to look after them is they have a meltdown mid journey. It’s not safe for a start !

This is the point though isn't it? She needs to show that the disability is the reason he needs transport. Not the same problems, like children in nursery, that every other parent faces.

So either she will be able to show why his disability specifically means he can't walk a normal school walk in the way other kids do, or she will have to work it out and walk with him herself.

Tbh I think part of the issue is that people no longer want to walk their kids to school and think that somehow it's an unreasonable imposition even if they are within the cut off.

And?
My 16 year old wouldnt be able to get a tsxi by himdrlf because hes severly autistic and non verbal
Disabillities come in all shapes and sizes
Just becsuse one child can do something doesnt mean all can.

I will explain if I have to go to appeal why I can’t. My youngest toddler is also under assessment for asd so I’m sure that will come into account somewhere.

Would your son’s current school/teacher write a letter for you, @downloadtoad, explaining your son’s needs, and making it clear that he would not be able to either walk to school safely, or get the bus? Evidence from professionals who have known him for a number of years might be helpful?

Why? Do you think anybody should be able to have their transport problems solved by the LA without providing any evidence as to why they can't do it themselves? Do you disagree that it would be very helpful now and in the future if the OP could drive (and bear in mind when I wrote that comment we didn't know that the OP was actually incapable of driving)?

That’s fuck all to do with it. I am my child’s advocate and I will fight for what he is entitled to by law.

Yes his teacher is going to