Home to school transport
If a child’s nearest suitable school is beyond statutory walking distance from their home, we have a duty to give them a free travel pass. For a child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the nearest suitable school may be different than for other pupils and walking may not be an option.
Transport for London (TfL) provides travel concessions for children and young people living in London.
If a child with SEND needs support with travel, we'll make arrangements for their transport from home to school or college. This is known as assisted transport.
We have a transport policy (one for ages 5 to 16 and another for ages 16 to 25) and we use it to decide what support a child is eligible for. This could be:
- free travel permit
- assisted transport
- independent travel training;
- reimbursement for journeys by public transport
- car mileage payable to their parent or carer
- walking escort
- school, bus or taxi
Who can access the support
The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Team only looks at transport applications for children and young people living in Camden who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
Generally, transport provision is considered for children who are of statutory school age, and on the basis of the nearest appropriate school with a vacancy. However, we'll consider all cases individually.
If your child does not have an Education Health and Care plan, support with home-school transport may still be available from Camden’s school admissions team.
How to apply
If your child or young person has an EHC plan, or who is currently undergoing a statutory assessment, you can make an application for help with transport.
You can contact the SEN Team by calling 020 7974 6500 to ask for an application form or for any questions you have about the application process.