The council’s travel to school-post 16 policies have not been reviewed since 2016. In January 2024, the Department for Education updated its statutory guidance on ‘travel to school for children of compulsory school age’ which sets out what local authorities must do to comply with the law.
By law, the council is required to offer free travel assistance to school for those who meet certain criteria. The council may also provide travel assistance to school, whether free of charge or subsidised, for others who they are not legally required to help.
There are currently three separate home to school transport policies, plus a fourth policy that covers the travel of young people aged 19 to 25 with SEND who remain in education and training. This number of policies can be confusing for parents and carers who wish to find out about the options available to them and how the assistance offered may change as children grow older.
The council’s budget for school transport continues to be overstretched in response to increased demand and requests for more tailored transport arrangements. The council must consider how to balance rising demand, the needs of children and young people, and parental expectations against the need to deliver value for money for the public purse.
It is intended that the new policy will be implemented from September 2026 for pre-16 pupils, with the Post-16 element being implemented from September 2025.
The main policy changes we are proposing are:
The council will continue to meet its duty under section 508B and Schedule 35B of the Education Act 1996 to provide free travel assistance to eligible children.
The consultation will be open from 9am on 6 January 2025 to 4pm on 14 February 2025.
Any questions or queries please contact - transportadmin@rutland.gov.uk
Children and young people, parents, carers, schools and colleges can participate in this consultation.
The review document that was discussed at cabinet on 10 December 2024 can be found on the Agenda and meetings page.
If your child is eligible for free home to school travel, we will offer you a personal travel budget where it makes financial sense for the council to do so. We can pay a family so they can take their son or daughter to and from school. But it is voluntary- you don’t have to take one. We will move on and offer you another form of travel if that is the case. For post 16 students – where the council does not have to provide free travel – depending on the outcome of the consultation, we may offer you a travel budget, with a seat on a bus or in a taxi only where it is necessary.
The final policies and proposals will be considered by cabinet on the 22 May 2025.
The council’s approach to assessing transport provision will remain needs-based and continue to be decided during the annual review process.
No, travel training is voluntary. We are offering travel training to pupils of secondary school age who have SEND and who are entitled to home to school travel. We will discuss the benefits of travel training with parents and the young person. We can assure you that your son or daughter will not lose any travel entitlements until they are confidently able to travel independently. The programme is personalised to meet the needs of the young person. Depending on the outcome of the consultation, for students with SEND who are aged 16 and over travel training may be the prime offer of support where appropriate.
The final policy agreement will be the same for those aged 19 and over with an EHCP as for post 16 who are still at college.
Our School transport page sets out the overall arrangements for home to school travel and transport in Rutland and which shows you how to apply.
The new policy for all school age children will be implemented from September 2026 and for post 16 and post 19 from September 2025. However, students currently in receipt of travel assistance will continue to receive that assistance until they leave their current school or college or move to their next stage of education. The council’s approach to assessing transport provision will continue to be needs-based and will be reviewed for each student periodically.
Any travel assistance will be assessed under the current policies.
Parents will need to contact the council directly to discuss cases such as this.
If you experience any issues with the survey or if you would like us to complete a paper copy of the survey, please contact us at the email above.