Mum’s money fears as transport fees to school reach £900 Teenager may not be able to attend special school due to costs
THE worried mum of an autistic child fears he won’t be able to continue attending his special school due to what she’s labelled a ‘ludicrous’ rise in school transport charges.
From September this year, Julie Fletcher, from Macclesfield, must fork out £900 a year to help cover the cost of her son Kieron’s taxi to and from school.
Cash-strapped Cheshire East Council has doubled the contribution charge for providing transport for young people aged 16 and over.
Kieron, who has autism and ADHD as well as high anxiety, turns 16 next month and Julie – a cleaner at Macclesfield Hospital – does not know how she will find the money.
She says her son is ‘thriving’ at his special school, The Meadows in Leek, and wants to move up to the sixth form.
Julie said: “I cannot afford this – I don’t think many people can afford it. It’s ludicrous. I just want my son to continue at school where he is happy and thriving.
“I fought for him to go to The Meadows in the first place because it’s the best place for his needs.
“He thinks he’s going into the sixth form. I can’t look him in the eye because I don’t know what to do.
“With council tax and this, it’s a third of my wage gone.
“He can’t use public transport because of the noise. He’d get off immediately because of it and I wouldn’t know where he was. He has no sense of danger. We wouldn’t have to pay for taxis if we had a special school here in Macclesfield that catered for his needs.”
Cheshire East Council provides school transport for about 3,800 youngsters and budget pressures means ‘making difficult decisions about how to make the best use of limited resources’.
A spokesman said: “We recognise that free and subsidised travel assistance to school is a valuable service for many families.
“Providing transport for young people aged 16+, including those with special needs is a discretionary service with a significant cost to the council – estimated to be in excess of £1.3 million this financial year.
“Members of our children and families committee, approved proposed changes to our home to school transport policies at a meeting on February 12. The changes followed a consultation which received around 450 responses, including many from parents and carers.
“Councillors agreed that from September 2024, most parents will be offered a personal travel budget to transport their child to school.
“The increase in charges for the post-16 parental contribution to £900 per annum will apply where parents are unable to transport their children to school with a personal travel budget or it is more cost-effective to share travel arrangements.
“Families on a low income can apply for the 16-19 bursary that is available from their child’s school or college.”