Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with (a) parents and (b) teachers about home-to-school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so.

Officials work closely with local authorities to understand the challenges they face and support the delivery of home-to-school travel. The department knows it is challenging for authorities to arrange free travel for all eligible children largely due to challenges within the wider SEND system, where more children and young people need to travel a long way to a school that can meet their needs. The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so more children can have their needs met in their local community.

The delivery of home-to-school travel is governed by statutory guidance for local authorities. The department revised this guidance in 2023. The insight and experiences of a wide range of partners, including individual parents and schools as well as bodies that represent them, were valuable in revising the guidance. Officials continue to engage with a wide range partners to understand how the current arrangements are operating.