School travel assistance for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

This page gives information about school transport for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Check if your child qualifies

Applications based on distance

Once your child starts reception then they will be able to get home to school travel assistance if they meet the following criteria:

they attend their nearest suitable school
that school is over two miles away from your home and they are under 8 years old
or, that school is over three miles away from your home if they are 8 years old and over

If your school or academy operates on two sites, the distance will be based on the nearest site to you.

We have agreed that the three-mile rule will not apply on your child's eighth birthday, but will be brought in from the start of the academic year after they turn eight (usually from the start of Year 4).

We do not normally provide travel assistance to schools that are classed as within walking distance of your home (under two or three miles). However, for children with SEND, we look at each case individually to take into consideration the needs of your child and your family. In some circumstances, we may then grant travel assistance to your child.

How we work out distances

To work out the distance from your home to your school, we use a Geographic Information System (GIS). This tells us what the shortest route is, using only the nationally recognised Ordnance Survey Integrated Transport Network (ITN) and Urban Paths Network (UPN). We will not include any other routes or use any other method of measurement.

Applications based on income

You may be able to get home to school travel assistance based on the amount you earn.

If you or your child meets the following criteria, then you can apply:

your child is aged between 8 and 16 years old
your child is eligible for income-based free school meals
you get the maximum level of Working Tax Credit

You will need to provide your most recent full Working Tax Credit Award Notice (pages 1-8, the Working Tax Credit Element of the Working Tax Credit Summary must indicate "reduction due to your income is £0.00").

What we offer

If your application is successful, we will provide your child with one of the following:

transport from your home, or a collection point close by, with other children in a coach or minibus, or in some cases, in a taxi
money to help you pay towards transport that you arrange for your child

The type of transport you get is chosen by us and our decision is based on your child's needs and the most cost-effective form of transport available.

How and when to apply

If your child has been offered a school place or has already started school and you meet the criteria set out above, you should apply for home to school travel assistance by Sunday 30 June 2024.

If you apply after this date, we cannot guarantee your travel assistance will be in place for the start of the 2024/25 academic year.

Apply

Apply for free home to school travel

What happens next

This is how long it takes for us to process different types of applications:

In-year: If you need travel assistance quickly for the current academic year, it usually takes about two weeks from when you submit your application.
Next academic year: If you're applying for travel assistance for the start of the next academic year (September 2024), it can take up to eight weeks for us to process your application, but often it's done sooner.

What happens if you do not qualify

If there are any spare seats on a school bus, these can be sold to children who are not entitled to home to school travel assistance. This is called concessionary travel. Full details of the concessionary travel scheme, including bus routes available, how to apply, how seats are allocated and how to pay, are available on our Apply for a concessionary seat on school transport page.

How to appeal

If we do not award free home to school transport to your child, you can request a review of our decision in writing within 20 days of the receipt of the decision letter. You will need to send any additional supporting evidence with the request. Each case will be considered individually.

See our Ask for a Transport Case Review page.

How we use your personal information

Find out how we use your personal information and what happens if you give false information on your application form.

We comply with all relevant statutory obligations with regard to personal information processed by us and this will be handled in accordance with our privacy statement which can be accessed on our Privacy notices and data protection page.

We may use the information you have provided on your application form (S20) for the prevention and detection of fraud. When completing the application we request that you sign the declaration to say that you agree and understand that we may check the details you have provided on your child's application against other council records to confirm that you and your child are resident at the property, and agree to us sharing your data with other agencies, where it is necessary to do so (where the law allows) and that you:

have read and agree to abide by the conditions as set out in the home to school transport policy
are the parent/carer who has parental responsibility for the child and all those with parental responsibility agree to the application
will inform us immediately of any change of address by email to schooltransportteam@durham.gov.uk
understand that if you have provided information that is incorrect or incomplete, we will withdraw your child's travel assistance immediately, all costs will need to be repaid, that you may be investigated and we may take action against you (this may include court action) as the council is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers.