Proposal to consult on home to school transport to be discussed

Plans to consult on proposals to change Derbyshire County Council’s home to school transport policy are set to be discussed next week.

Cabinet will be asked to seek a range of views on proposed changes to travel policies for eligible school children aged five to 16, Post 16 learners and students with special educational needs and disabilities.

The report to be discussed on Thursday 4th December says the government has published updated guidance which provides greater clarity on the role councils’ play in helping to transport children to school.

The statutory guidance states it is the responsibility of parents to make sure their children attend, including making travel arrangements to get them to and from school.

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 qualify for school transport if they are under eight and live more than two miles away from their 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.

Not all transport is provided for free, with some parents contributing towards the cost through discretionary arrangements.

Councillor Simon Mabbott, the Cabinet Member for SEND and Education, said: “We’re committed to providing efficient and safe transport in line with our legal obligations to support parents in getting their children to school.

“The guidance issued by the government provides us with an opportunity to consider updating our current policies, which have been in place for 10 years, and to look at how we can make them more inclusive and promote independence.

“If Cabinet agrees to consult we would want to hear from families, schools and communities to help us shape a future where travel to school supports wellbeing, attendance and access to high-quality education for all children and young people across Derbyshire.”

Cabinet will be asked to consider consulting the public on updating the policies to make them clearer in several areas including:
Home to School Transport Policy for children of statutory school age (five-16)

• Renaming the policy to the School Travel Policy. 
• Reviewing charges for children not eligible for free school transport but who pay to use spare seats on buses. The annual cost is currently £483 for secondary school pupils and £434 for primary pupils. Any proposed increase would reflect rising transport costs and be in line with neighbouring authorities to ensure consistency.
• Where appropriate and based on individual needs, introducing pick-up points for children who have specialised transport arrangements in place of door-to-door pick-ups. This would not be compulsory and 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. 
• Changing how the council determines a child’s home address when they live equally between two parents.
• 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 parents.
• Changing the qualifying criteria for families on low incomes to reflect the roll out of Universal Credit and free school meals.
• Introducing personal travel budgets as an alternative to traditional transport to give families control over how their child travels to school, rather than relying on council-arranged transport. This flexibility means parents could tailor arrangements to suit their child’s needs and family routines, creating a more personalised and stress-free experience
• Wider use of the council’s existing Independent Travel Training where appropriate to support secondary school children with special educational needs and disabilities develop the skills and confidence to travel independently. This would be in line with the council’s Preparation for Adulthood Strategy and support their long-term independence.
• 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 and for parents whose children are not of statutory school age, such as four-year-olds who attend reception.
• Qualified officers would carry out assessments to determine if they can be categorised as a suitable walking route.
• Extending the timeframe for arranging specialised travel assistance for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities once an application is made to ensure they are safe, reliable, and in line with contractual and safeguarding standards.

Post 16 Transport Policy Statement  

• Renaming the policy to the Post-16 Travel Support Statement. 
• Introducing personal travel budgets as an alternative to traditional transport to give families control over how their child travels to school, rather than relying on council-arranged transport. This flexibility would mean parents could tailor arrangements to suit their child’s needs and family routines, creating a more personalised and stress-free experience
• Wider use of the council’s existing Independent Travel Training where appropriate to support Post-16 students with special educational needs and disabilities develop the skills and confidence to travel independently. This would be in line with the council’s Preparation for Adulthood Strategy and support their long-term independence.
• Where appropriate and based on individual needs, introducing pick-up points for some young people with special educational needs and disabilities in place of door-to-door pick ups. This would not be compulsory and would be assessed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with families. 
• Changes to the amount parents would contribute towards transport assistance designed to help the council continue to provide travel support for young people while managing increasing costs. The annual rates are £483 and £326 for those who meet the low income criteria.
• Extending the timeframe for arranging specialised travel assistance for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities once an application is made to ensure they are safe, reliable and in line with contractual and safeguarding standards.

Councillor Mabbott added: “If Cabinet agrees to consult, no decisions would be made about the future of any of our services until we’d had chance to hear the views of everyone and take these fully in to account.”

If agreed, the consultation would run from 15th December to 22nd February 2026.