Transport assistance for post-16 learners with SEND: Senior councillors asked to approve proposed changes

The proposed changes would still offer a level of discretionary transport assistance for Post-16 learners with SEND and help support independence through travel training, whilst addressing the significant financial challenge.

The council is statutorily obliged to make free-of-charge home to school travel arrangements for school-age children with SEND. There is no such requirement to provide this for post-16 learners, however the council has been doing so on a discretionary basis at a cost of around £4m-£4.5million each year.

Following a consultation earlier this year, a report to the council’s Executive Board will propose the following changes:

• Limiting post-16 transport assistance to learners with SEND, living three or more miles from their education setting.                                                                                                                                                                                                               
• Independent Travel Training and a free bus pass (or equivalent cost) for a young person who is able to travel independently or could make the journey to their learning setting on public transport accompanied by an adult as necessary.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
• A yearly flat-rate Personal Transport Allowance for post-16 learners with SEND, allowing learners and their families to make their own travel arrangements, and based on distance between their home and learning setting:

-          Between 3 and 10 miles - £1,000 per year.

-          Between 10.01 and 20 miles - £2,000 per year.

-          Over 20.01 miles - £3,000 per year.                                                                                                                                 

• Providing council-organised transport for those meeting the exceptional circumstances criteria.

Introducing these proposals would achieve an estimated financial saving to the council of more than £800,000 during the financial year 2025/26.

Should the proposals be approved by the council’s Executive Board next Wednesday (16th October), the changes would be introduced for young people starting post-16 education in September 2025 and onwards. All young people already in post-16 education receiving transport assistance would continue on the current policy unless there is a change in their circumstances such as moving house or a different education setting.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for children and families, said:

“We absolutely recognise and understand the concerns of young people, their families and carers, in how these changes may affect them, and we have fully considered their feedback from the consultation when finalising these proposals.

“Given the significant financial challenges the council faces and the increasing level of demand, the level of discretionary transport support we currently provide is not sustainable.

“However, we remain committed to providing support for young people and their families through a personal transport allowance, through provision of our award winning independent travel training, and by ensuring that those with exceptional circumstances requiring council organised transport, continue to receive it.”

Public consultation on the proposals was held between 24 June and 23 July 2024, with just over 300 responses received and views sought from children and young people, parents and carers, staff and governors of Special Inclusion Learning Centres (SILCs), primary and secondary schools, and post-16 providers, and wider stakeholders.

Should the proposals be approved at Executive Board, the council will begin contacting families and key services to ensure they are aware of the changes well in advance of their introduction from September 2025. Officers intend to work with parent forums, young people and families to continue to inform their understanding of how the proposals impact those affected before and during the proposals’ implementation, and will also liaise with key partners such as public transport providers to continually increase their awareness of accessibility needs of young people with SEND.

Proposals to remove transport assistance eligibility for post-19 learners, and to introduce a contributory charge for post-16 learners towards their transport, have not been recommended to Executive Board for implementation following feedback from the consultation.

The full report can be read here.