Almost half a million under-16s in England rely on taxis, buses, and other school transport funded by local authorities to get to school, government estimates have revealed. The data comes following warnings from councils about the rising costs of providing transport for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
A head teachers’ union said that school transport played a “crucial” role in ensuring children get to school, but councils were making cutbacks.
6% of all pupils in England receive funded transport and nearly 40% of those aged under 16 have SEND. That amounts to 180,000 pupils.
Local authorities spent £1.5 billion on school transport for under-16s with SEND in the 2023-24 financial year. That is over double what it had been in 2015-16.
Data from the Department for Education (DfE) suggests that 470,000 pupils under 16 (6% of the total) rely on home to school transport, 50,000 over-16s use funded transport, and of the under-16s who do so because of SEND, 9% travel in single-occupancy vehicles.
Local authorities are required by law to provide transport for pupils who live a certain distance from school, who cannot walk due to SEND or mobility problems, or cannot walk for safety reasons.
The Local Government Association says that the pressure has risen over the past three years.
Stay tuned to EyeOnLondon for the latest news and expert opinions.
Follow us on:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!
We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!
