Changes to ‘Home to School’ transport policies to be considered (meeting: 21st May)

Proposals to change home to school transport policies will be discussed by Derbyshire County Council next week.

Cabinet will be asked to agree to update travel policies in line with national guidance for eligible school children aged five to 16, Post 16 learners and students with special educational needs and disabilities.

It follows a public consultation where 450 people gave their views on the proposals to make both policies clearer, fairer and sustainable in the face of rising demand and increasing operational costs.

The report being discussed on Thursday 21st May says modernising the policies would introduce flexible travel to suit the needs of families, promote independence and ensure the council is providing sustainable, safe travel to school in line with its legal obligations.

Up to 10,000 eligible children and young people are supported by the council to get to school each day, involving 1,140 transport routes and 145 different transport providers.

Pupils aged five to 16 qualify for free school transport if they are under eight and live more than two miles away from their nearest suitable or normal area school or three miles if they are over eight; the walking route is deemed unsafe; they have SEND or mobility issues or families are on qualifying benefits.

In addition to free transport for eligible pupils, there are additional transport arrangements where parents contribute towards the cost.

Councillor Simon Mabbott, the Cabinet Member for SEND and Education, said: “We’ve listened to people’s feedback as part of the consultation and taken this into account when considering how to bring our policies up to date.

“We’re committed to providing efficient and safe transport in line with our legal obligations to support parents in getting their children to school, but the current policies are out-dated and do not reflect how the service is delivered.

“The proposed changes would bring them in line with updated Government guidance and ensure they are fair in supporting all children and young people to get the education they deserve.

“Although we need to ensure the service remains sustainable amid rising demand, we recognise that the cost of living continues to affect many families which is why we are only proposing to raise charges in line with inflation so they keep more of their money in their pocket.

“It would mean the cost of a journey to and from school each day works out at around £2.62 – or £1.77 for low-income families – which is cheaper than one standard single fare on a public bus.

“If all the changes are agreed, they will help to promote children’s independence – and when I’ve spoken to young people with SEND they say they want to be able to do things on their own like their friends.

“They will also provide flexibility for families to decide how they get their children to school which in turn will help to increase attendance for all pupils across Derbyshire.”

Cabinet will be asked to agree to several changes to update both the policies:

• Renaming the Home to School Travel Policy for Children of Compulsory School Age to the Travel to School for Children of Compulsory School Age
• Renaming the Post 16 Transport Policy Statement to Post 16 Travel Support Policy Statement.
• Introducing new personal travel budgets would give families, where appropriate, a direct payment to choose how their child travels to school, rather than relying on council-arranged transport. This approach would provide greater flexibility, allowing parents to tailor travel arrangements to suit their child’s needs to fit in with family routines and create a more personalised and stress-free experience.
• Enhancing independent travel training where appropriate to support secondary school children and extending it to Post 16 learners with special educational needs and disabilities to get to school safely and confidently on their own. This would be in line with the council’s Preparation for Adulthood Strategy, teaching key life skills which give them choice and control, reduces reliance on others and builds self-esteem.
• Extending the timeframe for arranging specialised travel assistance to 30 days once an application is made to ensure it is safe, reliable, and in line with contractual and safeguarding standards.
• Introducing pick-up points for children in place of specialised door-to-door transport arrangements where this is appropriate and based on individual needs. This would be assessed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with families and would reflect the existing arrangements for children travelling on school buses.
• Reviewing charges for children not eligible for free school transport but who make use of a discretionary offer to pay for spare seats on buses. In line with current policy, and to ensure charges remain viable and fair, they would increase in line with inflation (3.3% at March 2026) from September 2027. For secondary age pupils, charges would increase from £483 to £499 and for primary age children, charges would rise from £434 to £448. Charges would increase in line with inflation each year.
• Changing how the council determines a child’s home address when they live equally between two parental homes

Cabinet will also be asked to agree to make additional changes to the Home to School Transport Policy for Children of Compulsory School Age including:

• Providing clearer information on how distances are measured when the route is over the statutory walking distance; identifying whether a school is nearer than the normal area school or determining which school is nearer when a child lives equally between two parental homes.
• Providing clearer information on how the council will use its discretion on implementing the policy when a child moves permanently during their final academic years; a parent’s disability affects their ability to get their child to school; for parents whose children are not of statutory school age, such as four-year-olds who attend reception and care experienced children and young people.
• Changing the qualifying criteria for families on low incomes to reflect the expansion of free school meals to all families receiving Universal Credit: Extended rights travel will remain targeted at children receiving free school meals and living in a household with annual earnings of not more than £7,400.

Cabinet will also be asked to agree proposed changes that apply to the Post 16 Transport Policy Statement only:

• Increasing the amount parents contribute where the council arranges transport assistance to ensure fairness, make the service sustainable and reflect rising costs. From September 2026, it is proposed the standard parental contribution would rise in line with inflation (3.3% at March 2026) from £483 to £499 a year. And for low-income families the rise would be £326 to £337. The council has not raised charges for three years. Charges would rise with inflation and be reviewed each year.

In addition to these proposed changes to the policies, it is also proposed that where walking route safety assessments are required these are carried out by qualified officers.

If Cabinet approves the recommendations, the changes to the policies would come into effect from September 2027, except the Post 16 parental contribution charges which would take effect from September 2026.

To find out more visit: Agenda for Cabinet on Thursday 21st May 2026, 12.00 pm – Derbyshire County Council Item 6