This form should only be completed by parents or carers of children aged 4 to 16, who have been issued with a finalised Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). You should use this form to request new home to school travel assistance or to notify us of a change of address.
Policy and eligibility criteria
Prior to requesting travel assistance, you should ensure the child is eligible in accordance with the criteria in the Home to School Transport Policy (opens in new window).
Please note that if we confirm that the walking distance between the registered home address and the nearest suitable school as named by the Local Authority is over the statutory walking distance, then the child will be eligible for Special Educational Needs (SEN) travel assistance. We will not need to take a child’s special needs or physical disability into consideration, and there will be no need for you to supply any additional supporting evidence.
Change of address notification
If a child receives Special Educational Needs (SEN) travel assistance to school and subsequently moves to a new address, then the existing transport arrangements will cease at that time. You should submit a new application with the updated address details as early as possible so that so that it can be re-assessed for on-going eligibility from the new address.
Part-time attendance at school
We can only arrange transport for the beginning and end of the core school day. If a child will be attending school on a part-time basis or a reduced hours’ timetable, then you should not complete this form. You should discuss the child’s travel needs directly with the relevant EHC Officer who will be able to advise or assist you accordingly.
School transition and induction days
We cannot arrange ad-hoc transport for transition and induction days. This is a direct arrangement between the relevant schools and the parent or carer.
Passenger assistants
When a child is attending primary school, the local authority will automatically provide a passenger assistant on transport to accompany the child. When a child transitions to secondary school we aim to promote independence whenever possible, and the local authority will only provide a passenger assistant when a specific need is identified. Please note that our drivers and passenger assistants are not medically trained. Should there be a medical emergency whilst travelling on school transport, they will call for an ambulance.
Looked-after Children or Children in Care
When a child is residing in a foster care placement that is managed by an external agency, then the care provider is normally responsible for all reasonable travel within a 20-mile radius of the placement address. If home to school travel assistance is required in this scenario please do not complete this form. The child’s Social Worker should submit a request for travel assistance directly to the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) transport hub for their consideration.
Uploading of supporting evidence
To avoid delay in processing your application, you should upload any relevant evidence in support of your application. This evidence should be recent (dated within the last 12 months) examples may include:
- Evidence of low income e.g. Universal Credit, Working Family Tax, DLA/PIP or Free School Meals.
- Detailed written evidence or advice from an appropriate medical professional, to corroborate that a child (or parent) has an Special Educational Needs (SEN) or Physical disability that would prevent them from walking to school when accompanied as necessary.
- Most recent Council Tax bill showing single persons discount, to evidence that you are applying a lone adult living in an address.
Code of Conduct
If the child does not have a finalised EHC Plan then you should not complete this form. You should wait until the EHC Team has finalised the EHC Plan. Alternatively, you can submit an application to the Mainstream transport team (opens in new window) for their consideration.
If a young person with an EHC Plan is aged between 16 and 24 (Year 12 and above) they may qualify for Special Educational Needs (SEN) travel assistance, but you should not complete this form. Full details of the post-16 policy and how to apply can be found via the website (opens in new window).
