With the cost of providing transport services having nearly doubled in the last few years and more Local Authorities facing serious budget deficits it comes as no surprise that more and more families are not getting the support they need.
What are students entitled to?
Being a parent carer has many challenges and often feels like an uphill battle. Making sure your child’s EHCP correctly depicts their needs, the provision to meet those needs and getting the right school or college named on the plan and securing a placement is unfortunately not where challenges end.
Local authorities have a duty to not only secure a suitable placement for meeting a child’s needs but also to make the necessary arrangements for the child to be able to get to and from the educational placement. Unfortunately, that legal duty does not extend to post-16 pupils. In their case the local authority needs to publish a post-16 transport policy statement in which the needs of young people with SEND are prioritised. A recent Natspec survey conducted with 66 specialist colleges ( Are-the-Wheels-Coming-Off ) found that nearly 70% of respondents had seen a noticeable difference in how much support students received with their transport. Alarmingly the same survey showed that 82% of the colleges reported SEN students suffering from increased anxiety and stress caused by transport issues with many students being unable to make it to their college all together or attending sporadically.
How can we help?
We can help by reviewing the transport arrangements in place for your young person, advise whether they are in line with a Local Authorities’ legal obligations and support you to challenge the transport arrangements. This can include accompanying you to a hearing set up by the Local Authority.
Our dedicated SEN Education team has helped hundreds of families with issues exactly like the ones your family is facing. We have decades of experience supporting children and young people get the education they need to have the best support in life. Call us today to have a free initial discussion with a dedicated member of our team on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form so we can call you at a time convenient for you.
