What to expect if your child receives SEND school transport

How you can help and what may be required from you if your child receives school transport from Buckinghamshire Council because they have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

You should make sure that your child is ready 5 minutes prior to the agreed pick-up time each morning.

Operators are instructed to wait up to 5 minutes after the agreed pick-up time, but will then leave. If this happens, it will be your responsibility to get your child to school.

There may be times when operators are unavoidably delayed. You should allow for up to 10 minutes delay in these cases. If the delay is longer than 10 minutes, the transport crew should contact you if safe to do so.

You should accompany your child to and from the vehicle and fit their seatbelt or car seat.

Taxi transport crew are not authorised to enter your house.

Drivers and passenger assistants should not leave their vehicle or other passengers unattended.

Wheelchairs, seatbelts, lap belts, booster seats and restraints

All wheelchairs must be issued with a wheelchair passport before transport is provided. If there is no wheelchair passport or the wheelchair has changed, the driver will refuse to transport your child. You will have to arrange alternative transport until a review of their travel assessment details the correct restraint equipment.

If your child travels in a wheelchair and has a wheelchair passport, the driver and passenger assistant are responsible for fastening the tie-down restraints securely, but we ask that you secure the lap belt.

If your child needs a car seat or booster seat to travel, we will ask you to provide this.

The driver may ask for your help to encourage your child to wear their seatbelt. If your child refuses to wear their seatbelt:

• the driver will refuse to transport your child, as it is illegal and unsafe
• you’ll have to arrange alternative transport until a review of their travel assessment can be completed

When your child returns home

You must be at home to meet your child when they return home from school.

If you’re not at home when your child returns from school, the driver or passenger assistant will notify us to seek advice.

If you cannot be contacted, we may redirect the transport to a place of safety where your child can be kept in a safe environment until you can be located.

If you know that you will not be at home at the pick-up and drop-off times, you’ll have to make alternative arrangements to transport your child to and from school.

You should let us know as soon as possible if there are any changes to your child’s needs which could affect their transport provision. For example:

• a change of timetable at your child’s school or college
• medical changes
• moving house and a change of address

If transport is not required on a particular day, please try to give your operator at least one working day’s notice of the cancellation.

In the event of extreme weather, you should monitor the school closures webpage to ensure the school or setting is open.

If in doubt, you should contact your transport operator for advice.

If you're moving house within Buckinghamshire, you should notify the Buckinghamshire SEND service at least six weeks before you move. If your child’s address changes, the Buckinghamshire SEND service will determine whether your child remains eligible for home-to-school transport from the new address. You can contact the Buckinghamshire SEND Service by:

• Telephone: 01296 382 269
• Email: [email protected]

If we receive a new referral from the Buckinghamshire SEND service for your new address, it will take up to 15 working days from the date the travel needs assessment is completed to put new transport arrangements in place. It is your responsibility to ensure that your child attends school during this period.

If you would like to discuss your child's transport arrangements, you can contact school transport.