Final decision to be made by Liverpool City Council on new school transport policy

Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet is set to decide on changes to home-to-school transport policies to align with the Department for Education guidelines and target funding to those most in need.

Following a consultation from March 4 – May 10, 2024, the proposed changes to home-to-school transport policies, if approved on July 16, will promote active travel and pupil independence, coming into effect in September 2025.

All pupils who currently receive a travel assistance will be unaffected by the proposals whilst in their current school or college and would continue to receive support under the new policy. In future all pupils who qualify under statutory guidance will receive travel assistance.

Low-income families, who currently represent 40 per cent of all passholders, would not be affected by the proposals.

All pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who apply to receive travel assistance will continue to have their needs assessed on an individual basis.

If approved, those who will be affected by the new policy will be assessed on an individual basis to establish any extra ordinary circumstances and to ensure the right support and guidance is given.

What is being proposed?

The Council is proposing updating the travel assistance policies, to bring them in line with national guidance by:

Removing discretionary free travel if parents or carers choose a school that is not the nearest suitable educational institution. This does not affect a parent or carer’s right to express a preference for a school of their choice as part of the admissions process.
Changing the minimum qualifying distance for free travel from two to three miles for those over the age of eight, to be in line with national guidance.
Not automatically providing travel support for pupils in years 6, 10 and 11 who have moved home and are no longer within qualifying walking distance to and from their school.

Image provided by Liverpool City Council

Travel support will be maintained for low-income families under the statutory criteria. In the 2021 academic year, 40% of travel passes issued were to pupils from low-income families. The Council will work with schools to provide travel support for pupils who do not meet the criteria.

Post 16 travel assistance

Currently the average cost of transport is £5,843 per student to be transported to and from their educational setting. For pupils aged over 16, it is being proposed that those eligible for transport and where the only travel support option is to travel on a vehicle provided by the Council, there will be an expectation that use of this service would require a ‘learner contribution’ of £680 per year.

This would be reduced by 50% for students who would qualify for free school meals. There will be an opportunity to pay the learner contribution in instalments and many post 16 students can apply for bursary funding to cover travel costs.

Advice would be provided on accessing student bursaries, and the Council would work with colleges to enhance the support they can provide to help students access public transport, for example through the Council’s Independent Travel Training Programme.