Post 16 education...........Anyone else having to pay for transport now??

[LottieJenkins]

I have been told that i have to pay £150 a term for Wilfred to go to college in September. I know i would have to pay a lot more than that every week if that was a normal taxi. I wasnt told at the Annual Review to do with his college place and i am fuming as i could have been saving money! Even though he has a SEN it makes no difference!!! Anyone else going through this is it every LEA or just mine?

Our LA are trying post 16 but got free transport and escort written into ds's statement on the grounds he has difficulties with transitions and it was essential that he arrived at school as stress free as possible in order to access the curriculum.

I forgot to say that Wilf is at residential college!!!

Ds is at independent specialist school but travels the 25 miles there and back daily. Under our LAs proposals it would be children post sixteen who could travel independently who would fund a proportion of the cost if they went by taxi.If your LA is the same I would argue that Wilf couldn't travel independently and so should be exempt.

My LA just says all post 16 have to pay. End of. I have my local NDCS officer on the case and she has asked me to find Part 4 of his statement which i have done!

The NDCS lady has been back in touch. There are some benefits that can get your fares paid. I am waiting to hear..............

When DS was also at residential college p[ost-16 the LA would not pay. We were told that transport to and from the college at weekends etc should be funded by the college as it was included in the college fees.

I'm surprised your LA hasn't ceased his Statement if he's now in FE college.

He isnt in college yet. He will be in September!

We get taxi+escort funded for post-16, but DD has been getting it since Yr 7 so the arrangements just continued. She still has a statement as it's an 11-19 residential school.

I think your rights may be different if he's in college (FE) rather than school. Hope you can get some help from the NDCS lady, she sounds very helpful.

Please join "Post 16 school transport group" on facebook to discuss this some parnets in south bucks are having to fork out over £900 to get their 16 year olds to school and im sure many other areas too!