The Home to School Transport Team processes all applications for home to school transport for all children living in the Wakefield district.
The Home to School Transport Team deals with all requests for assisted transport for –
- All children and Young People with SEND aged 4 to 25. Depending on the child’s individual circumstances they may require extra help with their journey to school or college – this is called ‘assisted transport’,
- Process applications for transport assistance to school or college for young people with a SEND who are over the age of 16,
- Deal with requests for home to school transport for ‘Looked After’ children.
Eligibility for help with transport to school or college depends on the individual circumstances of the child, which school they attend and how far they have to travel from home to school.
Parent carers must complete an application form online which can be found by clicking the link below. This same form is used regardless of whether you are applying for travel by taxi, a personal transport budget or a bus pass. You can select what you are applying for from the drop down menu at the start of the form.
Where a child is already in receipt of an EHCP, transport will be discussed at the Annual Review and where there is a need for a change in the transport provision, parents will be asked to complete the online application form.
The Home to School Transport Team works closely with the Special Educational Needs Assessment and Review Team (SENART), Connexions, schools and colleges, the Council’s Passenger Transport Team and Metro to ensure that any transport assistance put in place for children and young people with SEND is appropriate for their individual needs.
Depending on the individual needs of the child or young person the transport assistance put in place may be one of the following:
- Independent travel training to enable the young person to travel to/from school/college by public transport,
- Bus pass to enable free travel on a dedicated school bus/public transport,
- Use of ‘pick up’ points rather than ‘door to door’ pick up,
- Taxi/minibus with a pupil escort to accompany the child (this could either be a single person journey or ‘shared’ taxi dependent on the needs of the child/young person),
- Taxi/minibus without a pupil escort (again this could either be a single person journey or ‘shared’ taxi dependent on the needs of the child/young person),
Where children are under the age of 16 years there is no charge if they are in receipt of assisted transport however parental preference or parental choice could impact on the child’s eligibility for home to school transport. Parents should contact the Home to School Transport Team on 01924 305643, 305675, 306980, 305481 or email hst@wakefield.gov.uk for further information.
Post-16 transport
Once a young person reaches 16 years of age the LA do not have to provide assistance with transport if that young person chooses to remain in full time education after the age of 16.
There is a charge for Post 16 transport.
Independant Travel Training
What is Independent Travel Training?
It is a training programme designed to equip young people with the skills needed to travel by themselves on public transport to and from school / college.
We primarily work with students with an Education, Health and Care Plan in years 10 and 11 who are usually on assisted transport however, we have found that it can be better to start training sooner as part of the child’s education with Years 7-9, promoting wider travel choices and reducing long-term demand on specialist transport.
Why is it important?
Travel training is a “win-win” situation for the students, they benefit from –
- personalised support
- increased self-esteem
- self-confidence and social skills
- increased potential to access education, employment and leisure in the future
Independent travel is important to all aspects of life, whether a person has a disability or not. Lacking the ability to travel independently can create a barrier to personal success and satisfaction.
Training might not be suitable for all students, depending on their needs, for example those with –
- a medical condition such as epilepsy which is controlled by taking regular medication
- a visual impairment (these students are referred to the VI Mobility Team)
- mobility issues
- severe learning difficulties
- behavioural problems (if the student can sometimes pose a danger to themselves or others)
- with a particular vulnerability (if the student can sometimes not be aware of personal danger)
Benefits for parents carers
Parents and carers can be concerned about exposing their child to the outside world. The team works hard to calm any fears by visiting parents at home and by keeping them informed on the process.
Travel training has many benefits, including –
- the students no longer need to be accompanied to places
- the parents get more time to do their own thing, such as study or employment
- broadens the horizon of the learner away from the family
- increased confidence and independence on the path to adulthood
If this is something you would like to discuss further, please contact the Wakefield Council Transport team directly –
Telephone –
01924 305643,
01924 305675,
01924 306980,
01924 305481 or email hst@wakefield.gov.uk
