Education travel support consultation 2025

1. Tiered Travel Support Options -

   We propose to strengthen the assessment of travel support applications to ensure travel support offered best meets the need of the child or young person. This would be achieved by assessing based on information in the travel support application and EHCP, plus any supporting evidence from professionals etc and establishing an assessment criteria co-designed with professionals and the Parent Carer Forum. As such, interventions provided by the local authority will better meet the need of children and young people, with assessments carried out against the following travel support options:

   • Bus / rail pass
   • Travel support allowance (mileage)
   • Personal travel budget
   • Commissioned transport.

   Please note we are not proposing removing any travel support options but focusing on providing support that best meets needs. Thus, this is more of an administrative shift.

2. Adhere to compulsory school age

   The DfE defines this as ‘a child must start full-time education once they reach compulsory school age – this occurs on 31 December, 31 March, or 31 August following their fifth birthday, with the compulsory element commencing in the term immediately following their fifth birthday’. For example, if a child's fifth birthday is on 8th February, compulsory statutory education would commence in the summer term on 1st April. As such travel support would not start until the child is of compulsory school age

3. Remove discretion

   The Department for Education (DfE) states local authorities can adopt discretion where an applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria set out in the following policies ‘Travel to school for children of compulsory school age’ & ‘Post 16 transport guidance criteria’.

   We are proposing removing discretion from our policy; thus, just providing travel support for children and young people who meet DfE eligibility criteria.

1. Increase Post-16 Parental Contribution  - The Department for Education stipulates local authorities can request financial contributions towards the cost of delivering post-16 travel support from parents / carers. Currently, Dudley has two levels of contributions

1). £500 per academic year standard rate and

2). £300 per academic year for low-income families. These rates have remained the same since 2012.

We are proposing increasing these to

1) £650 per academic year standard (£16.67 p/wk) 

2) £360 per academic year low-income families (£9.23 p/wk).

Moreover, introducing an annual price increase in line with September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI). This is the indicator Department for Work & Pensions use to uplift benefits in the following financial year. For example, September’s 2024 CPI was 1.7%; thus, benefits will increase in April 2025 by 1.7%.

Parent contributions only relate to commissioned transport.

2. Tiered Travel Support Options

Strengthen the assessment of travel support applications to ensure travel support offered best meet the need of the young person. This would be achieved by assessing based on information in the travel support application and EHCP, plus any supporting evidence from professionals etc and establishing an assessment criteria co-designed with professionals and Parents Carer Forum (PCF).

As such, interventions provided by the local authority will better meet the need of young people, with assessments carried out against the following travel support options:

• • Bus / rail pass,
  • Travel support allowance (mileage)
  • Personal travel budget.
  • Commissioned transport

The proposed changes will have a significant positive impact on the local authority's ability to deliver home-to-school transport more efficiently and sustainably.

By increasing post-16 parental contributions in line with inflation and strengthening the assessment process through tiered travel support options, the local authority can better allocate resources based on individual needs while maintaining financial stability.

The introduction of tiered travel support ensures that children and young people are provided with the most suitable and cost-effective transport solution, ranging from bus or rail passes to personal travel budgets, rather than defaulting to more expensive commissioned transport.

Adhering strictly to the DfE's definition of compulsory school age, and removing discretionary travel support further enhances efficiency and consistency by ensuring that resources are directed solely towards eligible applicants.

These measures, combined with previous cost-saving initiatives such as the Sycamore School pilot, route recommissioning, and the removal of non-statutory early years transport, will result in significant savings while maintaining equitable access to education for all eligible children. Ultimately, the proposed changes strike a balance between financial responsibility and continued support for families in need.

The proposed changes may lead to an initial increase in home-to-school transport appeals as families adjust to the updated policies, particularly the rise in post-16 parental contributions and the removal of discretionary travel support. Some families may appeal on financial grounds or due to perceived hardship resulting from the increased contribution rates, despite the continued lower rate for low-income households.

The introduction of tiered travel support options for both post-16 and compulsory school-age children, while aimed at better aligning support with individual needs, could also result in appeals from families preferring commissioned transport over other options, such as mileage allowances or bus passes.

However, by strengthening the assessment process, clearly communicating eligibility criteria, and aligning decisions with the DfE’s statutory guidance, the local authority will be in a stronger position to ensure consistency and fairness in decision-making.

Over time, the clearer eligibility framework and more tailored support options should reduce the number of appeals by setting realistic expectations and improving understanding of the available transport provisions. Moreover, if these recommendations were implemented, we would expect an decrease in complaints to Councillors and Members of Parliament.