Post-16 Transport Policy Statement 2025/26

There is no automatic entitlement to transport assistance. To qualify for travel assistance from the Council, the following criteria must be met:

• The student has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) with a named school/s or educational setting/s, and
• The student is attending the nearest suitable school or educational setting to their home address as named in the EHCP, and
• The student is unable (due to their Special Educational Needs, disability or mobility difficulty) to use public/college provided transport independently, and
• The programme of learning is full-time (i.e. at least 540 plus guided learning (planned and funded) hours per year), and
• The student lives more than 3 miles walking distance from the school or educational setting as measured by the Council, or they are unable to walk the distance because of their Special Educational Needs, disability or mobility difficulty.

Travel assistance is based on travel from the home address, as defined in the Home to School Transport Policy, to the educational setting(s) named in Section I of the Education, Health & Care Plan.

As students build their travel independence, their travel assistance/transport provision may change. Transport and building travel independence will be discussed at EHCP annual review meetings. Eligibility for travel assistance for post-16 students with EHCPs is reassessed by the SEND service annually.