Cuts to free school travel for teens with special needs
Families are facing the prospect of having to fork out £500 a year to get their child to school. It comes as Kent County Council (KCC) confirmed cuts to free school travel for teens with special educational needs will go ahead in the next school year.
This change, which will impact 939 students who receive post-16 transport, is part of the local authority’s attempt to balance the books as it faces a “severe and growing” set of financial pressures.
But families have criticised the changes, which will mean from September they will have to pay for the taxis and minibuses their children have been taking to attend class. Mum Mandy Swords, from Sheppey, has two children with special needs, Teagan and Kaitlyn, who currently use the cost-free transport service to get to school in Canterbury. Mandy said: “It’s ridiculous. I have no choice but to apply for KCC’s transport because we live on an island.
“My daughter Teagan has got ADHD, autism and anxiety. She wants to go to Canterbury College because the special educational needs department is really good.”
Mandy, who works as a carer, says the college offers a performing arts course not available on Sheppey.
She added: “For her to get to Canterbury she would have to walk from our house to Sheer
ness train station, from there she would need to get the train to Sittingbourne, Sittingbourne to Canterbury, then walk down to the college. But she won’t be able to do it because of her needs.”
Under the new transport policy, parents who have children with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), who are continuing their education, have been told to apply for a KCC 16+ travel card which costs £500 for the year ,or £510 if paid in instalments.
The new policy also includes the introduction of standard drop-off and collection times and the introduction of qualifying criteria for learners seeking transport for new education courses starting after their 19th birthday.
Students who have not accessed public transport previously are also expected to engage with Kent’s travel training team which helps people with special needs learn how to travel to school or college by public transport. However, KCC says if the travel saver option is not suitable - because the young adult has mobility problems or disabilities which inhibit their ability to access public transport – parents can approach KCC for subsidised support.
For students aged 16 to 19 the contribution for the academic year 2024 to 2025 is £500 which can be paid in three termly instalments, but there is no contribution for post-19 students.
KCC has said these changes will ensure available resources are targeted to pupils with the highest need, while also ensuring statutory duties are met. A KCC spokesperson said: “KCC spends about £10 million annually on post-16 Special Educational Needs transport to schools and further education providers.
“The revised scheme remains generous and will still provide an average subsidy of 94% of the total cost of transport for all affected pupils and 97% for families from low-income backgrounds.”
Post-16 transport for children with special educational needs typically involves taxis or minibuses for learners who cannot travel by public transport on their own or with a guardian.
Councils can opt to fund such transport arrangements but they do not have a legal footing to provide free or subsidised travel to learners over school leaving age.