Mainstream school travel support
This applies to children aged from five to 16 years old. They will also be living further than the statutory walking distance from their nearest most suitable school (see point three, below).
What are the criteria for school travel support?
Your child must meet all the criteria to be eligible for school travel support. They must:
1. Be of compulsory school age
Compulsory school age is the term following your child's fifth birthday until the end of the school year in which they turn 16 years of age.
In most cases, school travel support will not be available for children travelling to nurseries or other Early Years settings if they are below the compulsory school age. However, if your child is in Reception class, they can apply if they meet the other criteria.
2. Attend the nearest suitable school
The child must be attending the nearest suitable school. Where a child’s nearest suitable school is oversubscribed and unable to offer them a place, the nearest school with places available is their nearest suitable school for school travel purposes.
Parents or carers who wish to apply for travel support must list their three nearest suitable schools on their school application form.
If a parent or carer chooses to move house and decides that their child should remain at their current school (including during Years 10 and 11) travel support is unlikely to be granted based on distance. Exceptions may exist in cases of exceptional circumstances.
3. Live the appropriate distance from home to school
The distance from home to school must be more than:
- Two miles away, if the child is under eight
- Three miles away, if the child is eight or over
The walking distance is measured by the nearest available walking route from where the property meets the adopted road, public footpaths, bridleways, and other pathways to the nearest available entrance to the school grounds.
Where all the routes to the schools in question are beyond the statutory walking distances, the route to the schools will be measured by the nearest available road route, passable for a suitable motorised vehicle, when determining whether a non-catchment school qualifies as a nearer school.
Applying under extended rights
This applies if the child is entitled to Free School Meals, or if their parents are in receipt of the maximum level of Working Tax credit or Universal Credit (with an earned income of no more than £7,400).
- More than two miles, if they are between eight and 11 years old
- Between two and six miles, if they are between 11 and 16 years old, and there are not three or more suitable schools that are nearer
- Between two and 15 miles, if this is their nearest and preferred school based on grounds of religion or belief
When submitting your application, you will need to provide us with evidence of your qualifying benefit and/or faith.
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