Question about transport to school

[BlueberryPancake]

DS (3) has special needs and has just started at a school-based nursery 5 mornings a week. The nursery is only about 4 miles away. The borough is providing transport for him. In the morning, he is picked up at about 8.35 for a 9:55 start at school, but on the way back, the school finishes at 11:55 and he doesn't get here until nearly 1:00.

I think that (obviously) one hour on a bus for a little 3 year old is too long, am I just being a bit overprotective? Can I ask if many of you have transport provided and how long it would take your DS/DD to go to and from school?

I just want to have a idea if my expectations are just too high.

Many thanks!

forgot to say, it's a minibus with 6 other children, and all the others are dropped off first. DS is the last drop off. Another detail- when he is picked up in the morning, he is picked up with only one other little girl in a car, but on the way back it's all the children with special needs. Although we are one of the closest family to the school DS is the last to be dropped off as all the other children live at the other end of the borough. Does that make sense?

Bump? Anyone?

BlueberryPancake, that is too long. You need to find the transport policy for your LA, which will tell you what the acceptable limit is for his age.

With DS he was getting picked up from the age of 6 to go 18 miles at 8 am for a 9am start and at 12 7.15 for a 9 am start 30 miles away but a 40 mile journey with the other pick ups. I take him now and leave by 8am if he was just 3 I wouldn't be happy with that length of time on a bus especially for such a short journey.

guessing it's to do with where the ban is returned to bit that's a long time at 3 years old

Ds is 5 he's picked up at 7.30 for a 9am start finshes school 3.20 home about 4.20 2 others on transport his schools about 30 miles away but being fair traffic in a morning is horrendus

We objected to a similar length of shared run for our then 11-yr-old, and he's now transported in solitary splendour by taxi (he sometimes gets home from 18 miles away earlier than DD does from the school in the village!)

Good luck -- that sounds far too long for such a little boy. I thought the guidelines suggested no more than 45 mins at that age?

Are there any guidelines? Our borough has a Transport Policy but it states that "The route schedules are arranged keeping journey times to a minimum. However it should be remembered that these times might increase due to unavoidable delays on the route."

Anyone knows where I could find more guidelines?

The Ipsea page on Home/School transport says "The more recent Home to School Travel and Transport Guidance suggests maximum reasonable journey times for all children of 45 minutes for primary school children, and 75 minutes for secondary school children, and that this may be shorter for children with SEN and/or a disability: the child?s age and disability would have to be taken into account."

I agree with Lougle that you need to ask the LA for their transport policy and appeal procedures. Keep a log of the times that your child is picked up and dropped off.

I was told by the risk assessor in my LA transport that the national 'advised limit' is 75 mins no matter of age. They are supposed to start with the furthest away and work their way in but it doesn't always work that way.

DS (4) is collected at 8.25 for 9 start and home at 3.30/35 after a 3pm finish and I am happy with that (bearing in mind he shares taxi with 3 more children on most days, being second to be collected in morning and third dropped off pm, school is 4.4m).

Call transport and question why your son is being dropped off so late and what route does the bus take? Point out that you are the one lives the closest to the school and perhaps suggest it would be nice to rotate the children drop off as its not fair he gets dropped off last every day. Mention something like he is starved by the time he gets home, too sleepy by the time he gets back so it results in inappropriate behaviour.

OK so the Home to School Travel and Transport Guidance, 'to which local authorities are under a statutory duty to have regard', states (thanks, sugarcandy) that: Best practice suggests that the maximum
each way length of journey for a child of
primary school age might be considered to be
45 minutes; whilst a child of secondary school age might be expected to travel up to 75 minutes each way Similarly, a child?s special educational needs and/or disability might be such that it implies a shorter maximum journey time.'

This is very helpful. I will wait until SEN & Inclusion Transport contact comes back to me and if no viable solution is proposed I will get the educational psychologist to give me hand in writing a 'case' and get DS a realistic service. I know that there are budget cuts everywhere, but I just don't think it is reasonable to expect a 3 year old to be on a minibus for one hour.

Any other suggestions welcomed!

That does sound unreasonable. Our DS who is 5 is picked up at 7.20 to be taken to school 18 miles away for a start of 8.15/8.30. Sounded terrible to me at the start but he seems to enjoy it. But for such a young child I agree that you should challenge the current set up.

With any government agency, they will do what they can get away with until somebody challenges them.

Well I have spoken to the 'manager' and there have taken the decision that they will not change the journey/service.

She said that they try to have a one-hour limit.

I have asked for a copy of their transport policy and their procedure for appeal, and I will take it further. I will put a 'case' together and ask for DS' psychologist to help me write a good letter. He doens't have a statement of special educational needs which I think might help me in this case, but hey we'll just have to do without.

Thanks and let me know if there's anything else I should look out for/help etc.

Can you take him yourself in your own car?

We have one car and my husband needs it most days for his work. He cycles to work occasionally, but usually he has to carry a computer and many books (he is a teacher and does marking in the evenings). I probably have the car one or two days a week.

It's worth logging any signs of stress/anxiety resulting from the long journeys, and citing
R v Hereford and Worcester CC, ex parte P, (1992), Times, 13 March. "The court held that it was implicit that the transport provided by the local authority should be ?non-stressful? if the child was to benefit from education."

I have seen how one local authority would deal with this issue. You need to get a supporting letter from your doctor or any specialist treating your sons special needs.

Ask them to say that a combination of his age and his Special needs suggest that the journey time are excessive. suggest that you ask the local authority to reconsider and look carefully at the timings and put themseves in the position of a three year old having to make that journey.