School travel assistance for children and young people with SEND

If your child has Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), they may be entitled to travel assistance to school as detailed in the SEND School Transport Policy and Post 16 transport policy statement.

Travel assistance is provided at the beginning and end of the school day if your child is attending the nearest suitable school as advised by Rutland County Council and:

• you live more than 2 miles from school if your child is up to 8 years old
• you live more than 3 miles from school if your child is 8 to 16 years old

Travel assistance for young people attending a post 16 college who have special educational needs in relation to transport will be considered on an individual basis.

If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the SEND team will confirm if your child is eligible and what the travel assistance offer will be to meet their needs. Please contact the SEND team with any travel assistance eligibility queries. If your child does not have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), please submit your request for travel assistance. 

If your child is eligible for local authority travel assistance, the support can be provided in a number of ways, dependent on the needs of each individual. The level of transport assistance is decided by the SEND team at Rutland County Council in conjunction with parents, school and other professionals working with your child. 

Transport assistance can be offered in the following ways:

•  independent travel training and support to use public transport (free travel pass provided) or walk to school/college
• bus pass for use on a closed school bus service, or on a school bus service also open to the public
• a seat on a shared minibus or taxi contract (with or without an allocated passenger assistant)
• lone taxi transport (based on an assessment of enhanced need – with or without an allocated passenger assistant)
• Personal Travel Budget (e.g. mileage payment to parent/carer if no other suitable transport option is available)

 Safety

To ensure the safety of all children Rutland County Council:

• enusre all staff working in or for the Transport Team are approved and have a clear enhanced adult & child DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check
• issue ID badges to drivers and Passenger Assistants who are approved to work on a Rutland County Council transport route
• ensure basic first aid and safeguarding understanding for all staff and contractors and other further training (eg, epilepsy awareness, wheelchair handling, Makaton, autism awareness) which may be required for specific students
• provide safety equipment such as harnesses and car seats where needed
• provide a Passenger Assistant to supervise children with severe physical conditions, medical conditions or severe behavioural difficulties
• ensure all RCC vehicles are maintained and comply with all legislation
• ensure all contractors comply with Statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards

Rutland County Council mini buses

The Rutland County Council Transport Team has a fleet of mini buses to cover some of the school routes. The Transport Team will write to each family with details of their transport for the year, request a one page profile detailing any relevant information about the child’s wants/needs whilst travelling and produce any enhanced risk assessments which may be appropriate.  

Contractors

The Transport Team also have contracts with taxi providers which can be in place for up to 5 years. 

Due to strict Local Government procurement regulations, at the end of a contract, it is not always a possible for the same transport provider to be retained.  The Transport Team will let affected families know when a contract is due to end. 

Rutland County Council's transport team will write to each family during the school summer holidays with details of their transport for the year, request a one page profile detailing any relevant information about the child’s wants/needs whilst travelling and produce any enhanced risk assessments which may be appropriate.

Contracts due to expire are tendered in the summer holidays in preparation for the new academic year.  Due to the complexity of the process, families may not get confirmation of their transport until mid to end of August. Once contracts are awarded, transport operators are asked to make contact with families in order to introduce their staff and begin to build good relationships before transport begins.  

If your young person is due to attend a Post 16 college,  the Transport Team cannot confirm transport arrangements until their timetable is confirmed. Please let the Transport Team know as soon as the days they will be in college are confirmed.

Communication

Parents/carers are asked to inform their transport provider in advance of any individual journeys not required. 

For any ongoing changes, parent/carers must contact the Transport Team at Rutland County Council.  

If you have any queries or have any issues with any transport provided, it is important that these are discussed with the Transport Team at Rutland County Council. If you wish to complain about any transport, please complete the online form or email and the Compliments, Comments and Complaints Policy will be followed. 

Appeals

You have the right to appeal a decision about travel assistance. Appeals should be sent for the attention of: Transport Operations Manager Rutland County Council Catmose Oakham Rutland LE15 6HP. The request should explain why you believe the decision should be reviewed and give details of any circumstances you believe should be considered when the decision is reviewed.

Within 10 working days of receipt of your written request, a senior officer will review the original decision and provide you with a detailed written notification of the outcome of the review.

Full details can be found in the guidance notes for parents and young people.

Please take a look at the FAQ about transport for children and young people with SEND.