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No. Having an EHCP or attending a special school or unit does not automatically result in the provision of free travel. Please refer to the question above and the Travel Assistance policy for further guidance. 

The policy for travel assistance for post-16 education and training is different from that for students of compulsory school age. View the Travel Assistance Policies.

You can apply for school travel assistance using the online application. Download the application form. A decision will be made within 20 working days. Please allow us this time before chasing your application outcome.

When you apply be sure to include all grounds that you feel you can apply on in your request to the council, it is essential that we have the full details of your situation in order to consider the application.

Where there are spare seats in buses, minibuses and taxis that we contract to provide free home to school transport for eligible children, these are available to be purchased by the parents or carers of children who are not eligible.

Please see details of the spare seat offer on our Home to School Travel Assistance web page.

Details of how to appeal will be contained in your decline letter. When you make the appeal be sure to include all grounds that you feel you can appeal on in your request to the council, it is essential that we have the full details of your situation in order to consider the appeal.

Should your child be eligible for travel assistance and they are in classes reception to year 11 this will be offered in the priority order listed below. We will determine which type of travel assistance we can offer based on undertaking a risk assessment and the best use of available resources. Once transport assistance is in place we may change the type of help provided to make the best use of available resources at that time. 

• Independent Travel Training - Access to Independent Travel Training is provided alongside a training programme to enable the child or young person to travel independently over a period of time.
• A Personal Travel Assistant Budget (PTB) is a payment given to families directly which they then use to ensure their children get to and from school every day.
• A funded travel pass to occupy a seat on a mini bus, coach or taxi.
• In the case of children with special education needs, disabilities and mobility problems, we will review your application form to determine the support your child may need. Where necessary, we will provide a specialist vehicle (for example, a vehicle that is able to accommodate a wheelchair). Where necessary, we will also provide passenger assistants.

For post- 16 education and training decisions regarding what assistance is required will be based on enabling independence and the best use of the Council resources. The policy for travel assistance for post -16 education and training is different from that for students of compulsory school age and therefore can be found on the Council’s website here: https://www.telford.gov.uk/downloads/file/18209/post_16_travel_assistance_policy_2021_-_2022

For Post 16 you will be required to pay a contribution as per the parental contribution policy https://www.telford.gov.uk/downloads/file/18209/post_16_travel_assistance_policy_2021_-_2022

Where a transport vehicle is offered under exceptional circumstances, a contribution of £600 per academic year from students or their parents is required towards the cost of travel assistance. The charge will be £400 per academic year, if a financially dependent student, is from a low income household which is defined as:

• Families in receipt of Income Support.
• Families in receipt of Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IB JSA).
• Families who receive Child Tax Credit and have an annual income
• below the relevant threshold.
• Families who receive Employment and Support Allowance (Income
• related).
• Families who receive The Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit.
• Families who receive support under Part VI of the Immigration and
• Asylum Act 1999.
• Families in receipt of the maximum level of Working Tax Credit.
• Families in receipt of benefits that supersede those listed above.

Students in receipt of a 16-19 Bursary will be expected to use the award towards transport assistance costs.

• For applications requesting transport assistance during the academic year - We will endeavour to get transport assistance in place as soon as possible, timescales will vary depending on the type of travel assistance. We will be in contact with you within 5 working days to undertake a risk assessment prior to any assistance being put in place, the risk assessment requires detailed information about the child’s health and abilities with regards travel. It can take up to 20 days to put transport assistance in place so, you must organise you own travel assistance during this time. Please allow us this time before chasing the transport assistance progress.
   
• For applications requesting transport assistance for the new academic year - We will be in contact with you within 30 working days to undertake a risk assessment prior to any assistance being arranged, the risk assessment requires detailed information about the child’s health and abilities with regards travel. We will be in touch before the 31 of August (or sooner) to confirm the transport arrangements. Please allow us this time before chasing the transport assistance progress.

The provider will complete a ‘meet and greet’ with you and your child a few days prior to the transport commencing. At the ‘meet and greet’ the provider shall notify you of pickup times then. This is an estimated time and as the run settles, it will become more consistent.

No, transport can only be provided by operators on our approved Dynamic Purchasing list. Each contract is awarded following a competitive tendering exercise.

• Be at home within 10 minutes of the school finishing time. If you cannot be at home, please arrange for a suitable adult (over 18) to be at the property to collect the student. The Transport team must be informed if someone other than the parents/carer are collecting the student and a password must be given to ensure the safety of the student.
• The staff members on the vehicle have been instructed to hand over the student to the responsible adult. They should not leave the vehicle so parent/carer must ensure they bring the student to the vehicle and collect them from the vehicle in the afternoon.
• Be ready for collection - the vehicle will wait a maximum of 5 minutes and then depart. Students should be ready to board the bus as soon as it arrives to reduce the amount of time passengers have to be on the vehicle.
• Cancel the transport if it is not required. We are still charged 100% for journeys that arrive and students that did not get in to the vehicle for 2020-2021 “no shows” cost Telford and Wrekin Council approximately £16,000.

Rules whilst travelling:

• no eating or drinking whilst on the vehicle
• all passengers must wear their seatbelt
• follow the instructions given by the staff members on the vehicle.

Wheelchair information:

We will ask during the risk assessment if your child travels in a wheelchair. The most important factor in this assessment is that the wheelchair meets ISO 7176-19 crash testing so that the wheelchair can be safely secured and transported and that the wheel chair has a lap strap and foot plates. The wheelchair will be tagged and entered on to the Wheelchair Passport Scheme to show it is safe for travel. If a wheelchair is changed then you need to notify the Transport team on 01952 384545. Your child can only travel in a wheelchair that has been passed.

• transporting a student home early due to sickness
• transporting at different times due to school trips or after school activities
• if a student ‘no shows’ and the vehicle has waited 5 minutes, then we will not be able to send out a second vehicle or ask the vehicle to return and collect
• transporting a student home later due to detentions.

If the student is a ‘no show’ then the provider will automatically cancel the afternoon transport. When a student ‘no shows’ it is the parent/carers responsibility to ensure the student attends school. If the afternoon transport is required after being a ‘no show’ you will need to contact the Transport team to reinstate transport.

We expect parents and schools to promote good standards of behaviour by children on their journey to and from school through rewarding positive behaviour and using sanctions to address poor behaviour. The Education and Inspections Act 2006 empowers head teachers to take action to address unacceptable behaviour even when this takes place outside the school premises and when their pupils are not under the legal control of the school, but when it is reasonable to do so. We also take this to mean behaviour on school buses, or taxis on the route to and from school, whether or not their pupils are in school uniform.

In certain situations, where there is serious and/or consistent behavioural issues in council provided transport, we will consider withdrawing travel assistance until the situation is resolved with parents/carers working with us, the school and the transport provider to resolve the situation.

A new application form will need to be filled in. If you know you are moving in advance, please let us know as soon as possible.

If you have been approved under low income, exceptional circumstances, or the student is over the age of 16, please ensure you reapply before the 30 June every academic year. If you are a school leaver moving into a new education placement, please ensure you apply by this deadline. If you do not, then transport assistance is not guaranteed to commence in time for the new academic year.

Please email the transport team at Transport@telford.gov.uk to notify us of any changes.