Council makes changes to Home to School Transport Policy: have your say
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
We are asking residents, parents and carers of children who are planning to use the home to school transport service to have their say on proposed changes to our Home to School Transport policy.
We are proposing changes to two of our policies – for all children of compulsory school age, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or other mobility difficulties, and our policy for Young People aged 16-19.
Both policies have been reviewed and amended to make them clear, and easy to understand for people who are thinking about or applying for transport, and to ensure they are aligned with the Department for Education’s (DfE) revised guidance on Home to School Transport, which was published in June 2023.
One of the main changes we are proposing is to develop an independent travel training scheme for children and young people with SEND, to help those who can develop the necessary skills and knowledge to travel independently and provide parents or carers with peace of mind that they are travelling safely.
Another key change is around the system we currently uses when parents are applying for school transport. We are proposing changing this from the school’s ‘catchment area’ to the student’s ‘nearest school’.
Further minor amendments to the policies include changes to make them clearer or bring them up to date.
One of the pressures on our budget is the ever-increasing cost of school transport. Every day we transport around 6,500 children to and from school across Central Bedfordshire, on around 750 routes, and is predicted to have spent 19 million on school transport this year. The changes to the policy will help to curb the ever-increasing costs of providing school transport.
Cllr Hayley Whitaker, Executive Member for Families, Education and Children, said:
We have listened to feedback from parents and carers when amending the policies, and our goal is to create policies that are straightforward and clear. We are currently considering increasing Council Tax and making changes to some services, like charging for collecting garden waste to meet the financial pressures caused by increasing costs in adult social care and school transport. Some of the proposed changes to our policies will reduce costs for the Council but continue to provide school transport to those who need it. We understand how crucial home to school transport is for families in our communities, which is why we're asking parents, carers, and others to share their thoughts on the proposed changes.
If the policy changes are agreed, wenwill honour existing commitments for transport. Changes will not affect current students that are entitled to school transport. If the changes are approved, it will apply to all new applications and would be effective for in-year school applications from the start of 2024/25 academic year and at the start of the 2025/26 academic year for new compulsory school transport applications and post-16 transport applications.
Anyone who would like to have their say can do so by visiting: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultations. Responses must be submitted by Wednesday 3 April 2024.
We are also hosting a series of engagement events where people can find out more:
- Thursday 29 February 2024, 11am to 1pm, Room 3, Leighton Buzzard Library, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
- Tuesday 5 March 2024, 4:30 to 6:30pm, Marston Moreteyne Community Centre, Great Linns, Marston Moreteyne, MK43 0DD
- Tuesday 12 March 2024, 6 to 8pm, Shefford Community Hall, 60 High Street, Shefford, SG17 5AX
- Wednesday 27 March 2024, 3:30 to 5:30pm, Westoning Village Hall, 34 Church Road, Westoning, MK45 5JL
- Tuesday 19 March 2024, 1 to 2pm, online via Microsoft Teams (to register, email htst.consultation@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk)