Home to School Transport Service

We provide support with travel to eligible children and young people to help them get to and from school/college.

Your child will be provided with one (or a mix) of the following:

• Independent travel training to help them walk to school/college or use public transport unaccompanied
• Travel passes for use on public transport
• A walking Escort to accompany them to school/college
• Specialist transport such as a taxi, minibus or wheelchair adapted vehicle and an Escort as appropriate

We are based in Council offices in the City Centre and cover all areas within the City.

This is our eligibility criteria:

Mainstream provision:

• Primary:

- attend the nearest appropriate school to their home

- live more than 2 miles from the school *

* 3 miles in years 4 to 6 unless they meet the means testing criteria

• Secondary:

- attend the nearest appropriate school to their home

- live more than 3 miles from the school

 or

- attend one of the three nearest schools to their home

- live more than 2 miles but less than 6 miles from the school

           - Where they meet the means testing criteria

• Secondary faith:

- attend the nearest appropriate faith school to their home

- live more than 2 miles but less than 15 miles from the school

- meet the means testing criteria

- provide evidence to show they attend the school for faith reasons

Special provision (special schools/resourced units in schools/pupil referral units):

• Nursery:

- attend the nearest appropriate inclusive nursery to their home

- had their placement arranged by the SEN Team

- live more than 2 miles from the nursery

Note: parents may be expected to accompany their child on the journey to/from nursery 

• Cedar School:

- all children attending the school

• Rosewood School:

- all children attending the school 

• Other primary:

- attend the nearest appropriate provision to their home

- live more than 2 miles from the provision 

• Other secondary:

- attend one of the three nearest appropriate provisions to their home

- live more than 2 miles but less than 6 miles from the provision

* for children attending the nearest appropriate provision there is no upper mileage criteria

• Post 16

- attend the nearest college/sixth form offering an appropriate course *

- had a Statement of SEN or EHCP in year 11

- is under age 21 on 31 August prior to when they start their course

- live more than 3 miles from the college/sixth form

* An appropriate course is one that enables the student to meet their employment objectives or is specifically designed to meet their SEN

If your child attends a mainstream school you will need to complete an application form and send it to the Transport Coordination Unit. They will write and let you know if your child is eligible.

If your child attends special provision, the SEN Team will check to see if they are eligible before they start their placement and let you know in writing. You will not need to make an application.

If your child attends Post 16 provision you will need to complete an application form and send it to the Transport Coordination Unit. They will write and let you know if your child is eligible.

Each case is considered on an individual basis. We consider factors such as age, ability, length and complexity of the journey, the need for accompaniment, physical disabilities and medical problems.

There are three ways your child can qualify for access to the service:

1. They meet the eligibility criteria outlined above and are considered to be ordinarily eligible for the service.

2. They are not ordinarily eligible for the service and you complete a form asking for exceptional circumstances to be considered. You will need to telephone the service to request this form. The form asks for lots more information about your child, your family and your personal circumstances. This information is used to review the first decision and decide if transport support should be given on exceptional grounds.

Information may be requested from other services or agencies that are involved with your child. The aim of the review is to decide if it is necessary and/or reasonable to provide transport support. If transport support is granted, there will usually be regular reviews to make sure changing circumstances are taken into account.  

3. They are not granted transport support on exceptional grounds and you complete a form asking to make an appeal to a panel of Councillors. Councillors will consider written submissions from you and the Council Officer who has been dealing with your case as well as inviting you to attend the appeal hearing so you can state your case to them directly.

We ask parents to give us information about their child before they start travelling on specialised transport. We may share some of this information with Escorts and drivers where appropriate. This includes things such as likes and dislikes, fears and habits, preferred name.

Escorts working with children with communication difficulties have had basic Makaton training.

The Transport Coordination Unit is located in a fully accessible building and accessible vehicles are used to meet the requirements of our client groups needs.

Escorts working with your children receive the following training:

• First Aid
• Allergies and Asthma
• Manual Handling
• Wheelchair handling / fixing
• Conflict Management
• Autism and Behaviour Management
• Safeguarding
• Makaton

If your child has a specific medical problem the escort may undergo additional training.

If your child has acute medical needs they may be escorted by a nurse or carer arranged by the Health Service.

 

We want to keep your child safe while they are using our service. To do this we:

• Provide escort training as outlined above
• Provide escorts with an induction
• Require all Escorts and drivers to have an enhanced DBS check
• Check driver and vehicle documents such as licenses and insurances
• Carry out spot checks on vehicles and Escorts
• Provide staff with high visibility clothing
• Require escorts to carry a mobile phone
• Issue wheelchair passports if your child travels in their wheelchair
• Provide escorts and drivers with service specific guidance booklets
• Collect key information about your child and share it with escorts and drivers where necessary
• Provide specialist equipment such as child seats and harnesses

Parents using our service can give us feedback, raise concerns or make a complaint using the contact information shown above.

We take all concerns and complaints received seriously and liaise with all interested parties to identify a suitable solution. Complaints are managed within the Council’s complaints policy.

If your child attends special provision and you want to discuss their eligibility to receive transport support you should contact the SEN Team:

Tel: 023 8083 4373

Email: sen.team@southampton.gov.uk

For all other issues you can contact the Transport Coordination Unit using the contact information shown above.