Education and SEND

If a young person has been assessed and is eligible for travel assistance from us, you can apply for council-arranged transport.

If you'd rather make your own travel arrangements, you can apply for a Personal Transport Budget.

Council-funded travel assistance may be available if a child is between 5 and 16 years old (of statutory school age) living in Buckinghamshire, and going to their nearest suitable school where they are:

• living further away from their school than the legal walking distance (that is, 2 miles for pupils under 8, or 3 miles for pupils aged 8 to 16)
• from low-income families (where extended rights apply, see section 3.5)
• they have SEND or are unable to walk to school due to mobility difficulties
• unable to walk to school because there is no safe walking route

Read about free school transport, and the support children can get for travel to primary or secondary schools.

If a young person has been assessed and is eligible for travel assistance from us, you can apply for council-arranged transport for an annual fee.

If you'd rather make your own travel arrangements, you can apply for a Personal Transport Budget

Young people with SEND aged between 16 and 19 may be able to get:

• a personal transport budget that allows families to arrange transport for the student
• transport arranged by the Council for an annual fee to school or college, and travel help for their SEND
• special equipment if necessary
• a travel pass for a school bus or public transport

To get this, a young person must not be able to travel to and from school or college by themselves because they:

• cannot get public transport that meets their SEND needs
• have SEND or problems with mobility

To get help with transport, a young person must:

• live in Buckinghamshire
• be under 19 years old, or have started school or a college course before their 19th birthday
• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, which names the school or college they go to
• live more than 3 miles from their school or college, or cannot walk there because of their SEND
• go to the school or college nearest their home that offers the full-time course or work placement they want to take

Young people aged 16 to 19 who are eligible for travel assistance must reapply each year. Read more in section 6 of the Post-16 Transport Policy Statement 2022 to 2023.

Young people with SEND aged between 19 and 25, and who have an EHC plan, may get free transport to and from their education provider.

To get this, a young person must:

• live in Buckinghamshire
• not be able to use public transport by themselves because of their SEND

The young person must also be going to a college that:

• allows them to meet the intended outcomes of their EHC plan
• is more than 3 miles away from their home, or under 3 miles if they cannot use public transport independently because of their SEND, or the route is unsafe

Parents, carers, and young people with an EHC plan can find out if they qualify for free 19 to 25 transport for education by speaking to their social worker.

More details can be found in section 9 of the Post-16 Transport Policy Statement 2022 to 2023.

If a young person with SEND does not have an EHC plan, we may be able to pay some money towards their travel to and from their education provider.

To get this, they will need an assessment as part of the Care Act 2014.

Read more in section 11 of the Post-16 Transport Policy Statement 2022 to 2023.

Parents, carers, and young people without an EHC plan should email the Community Reablement Team if they have questions about free 19 to 25 transport for education.