Have your say on Southampton City Council’s School Travel Service

Southampton City Council is inviting everyone with an interest in the School Travel Service to comment on the draft policy for 2025-2026

The Policy (which is now split into a draft Policy for travel support for children of compulsory school age and a draft Policy Statement for Post-16 travel support) has been issued for public consultation today (Monday 9 September 2024) for seven weeks, with consultation events offered to schools, colleges and families during that period.

The School Travel Service Policy is part of the 'adapt | grow | thrive' transformation programme.

Most children and students make their own way to school or to their education setting, either accompanied by a parent or carer, or independently if they are older, by walking, wheeling, using public transport, or lift-sharing with other families or friends.

However, for some children and students with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and a small number of non-SEND children and students, this may not be possible. This is either because their school or education setting is too far away or because they are not able to walk, wheel or use public transport. These children and students may be eligible for school travel support from the School Travel Service, which local authorities have a duty to provide.

When choosing a school place, it is important for parents and carers to consider how their child will travel to and from school each day. Young people of sixth form age (ages 16-18) and adult learners (adults with Education Health and Care Plan (EHCPs) up to age 25 where they are continuing on a course started before their 19th birthday) need to consider how they will travel to and from their education setting.

The draft School Travel Service Policy 2025-2026 and Post-16 Travel Policy Statement 2025-2026 set out Southampton City Council’s approach to the operation of the School Travel Service in Southampton. It outlines how the council will deliver its statutory responsibilities to provide travel support for eligible children and students under the Education Acts 1996 and 2011, and the Equality Act 2010. It also details local policy for the operation of the School Travel Service in Southampton.

The proposed changes to the current policy include:

• Separation of the Post-16 Students Travel Policy Statement from the main School Travel Service Policy – they will be two separate documents. This aligns with the National Statutory Guidance
• Changes to the mainstream school application requirements if a parent or carer wishes to apply for travel support or where parents or carers chose to move home after a school has been awarded
• Changes to how travel support is offered to Post-16 students
• An improved Personal Travel Budget offer
• Reducing the notice period for changes to travel support to 4 weeks or the end of the half / full term, whichever is soonest when an error has been made
• Removing the offer of ‘Privilege’ places on taxis and minibuses (currently no Privilege places so no impact on existing parents or carers)
• Wording / terminology changes and additions to more closely align to National Statutory Guidance

The draft School Travel Service Policy and draft Post-16 Travel Policy Statement do not include any changes to the criteria for entitlement for travel support, which are set out by law.

The public consultation provides an opportunity for anyone who may be affected by the proposed changes to the Policy to provide their comments, so that the council can gather feedback. The consultation launches on Monday 9 September 2024 and closes on Monday 28 October 2024 at 5pm.

Find out more about the consultation and have your say on the School Travel Service.

Councillor Winning, Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, said:

"As a council, we have a duty to support children, young people and adult learners with their school and Post-16 education journey, providing they meet specific criteria for this support. The School Travel Service ensures that people can attend their education setting without barriers stopping them from doing so and provides vital support for many people to get to their place of learning.

"It is really important to have your say on the School Travel Policy so we can use your comments and feedback to ensure than we can continue to provide the right level of support".

The consultation documents include:​

• The draft School Travel Policy 2025-2026​
• The draft Post-16 Travel Policy Statement 2025-26
• A document with a summary of the proposed changes to the School Travel Policy
• An Easy-to-Read consultation document for adults and children that explains the proposed changes in simpler terms
• A consultation questionnaire

When the public consultation period closes, the council will review all comments and feedback and use it to produce the final versions of the new School Travel Service Policies for children of compulsory school age and Post-16 students. Once agreed, they will be published on the council’s School Travel Service web pages.

To find out more information about the School Travel Service consultation, please visit the consultation page.