Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential financial impact of school transport costs on families in areas outside London; and whether she has plans to review school transport policy to address regional disparities in costs.

Children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, will be eligible for free travel if they attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or the safety of the route. Extended rights to free travel support low-income families to exercise school choice. The department does not currently have any plans to change the existing statutory framework.

Central government funding for home-to-school travel is provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement. From the 2026/27 financial year, it includes a new specific relative needs formula for home-to-school travel which estimates each authority’s relative need to spend based on pupil numbers and home-to-school distances. This ensures funding reflects real journeys to school including in areas outside London.