In our blogs in recent weeks, we have highlighted a recent report the increasing cost of Home to School Transport which showed a rise of 50% over the 4 years from 2019 to 2023, from c£1.08bn to c£1.5bn.
At Peopletoo, we know that some of the ways in which local authorities can review these costs is to consider how they manage the market and by reviewing the practicalities of travel, such as routes, contracting arrangements, trialing different forms of commissioning to suit different market conditions, and similarly different types of software to have better real time information on transport usage.
We know, however, that one of the key drivers of these increases is the increase in demand through increases in the volume and complexity of need of children and young people within an under pressure SEND system – an increase in EHCPs of 115% in 9 years, and a subsequent increased demand for special school places which are often a greater distance from home than the local mainstream school.
Whilst therefore there are areas of market management, route optimisation and vehicle usage which local authorities can consider reviewing, we also believe that there are opportunities to engage with parents / carers to find cost effective solutions, as well as take a wider SEND service perspective of how they arrange its specialist provision and manage demand.
We give some examples of this below.
- Reviewing Home to School Transport Policy – In January 2024 the Department for Education updated its statutory guidance for Travel to School for Children of Statutory School Age. The legislation on which the guidance is based has not changed, but the new guidance offers local authorities, parents and schools some helpful clarity on the interpretation of a local authority’s statutory duties in relation to providing travel to school, and the areas where local authorities may wish to exercise their discretion in going beyond the statutory duties. The minimum requirement for local authorities to provide transport assistance is indeed quite minimal and not something that many would wish to completely set their policy by. However, we still see many policies which have not been reviewed for some time and do not reflect the additional pressures that have come from increased demand. There are numerous ways in which it is possible to promote best value from a Home to School Transport Policy which still supports those most in need of support and / or allows for exceptional circumstances.
- Facilitation over “provision of” – we have also noted before that there is also something about the term “Home to School Transport” which in itself is slightly unhelpful, in that the very term implies something that is “provided” rather than “facilitated”. This is particularly so when looking to implement post 16 policies where local authorities have more flexibility as to the support that they provide.
- Investing in local specialist provision – by investing in local provision and addressing local sufficiency, in particular Resource Bases and Designated Units. These enable children and young people with additional needs to benefit from the specialist provision that they need whilst also enjoying the benefits of mixing with their mainstream peers. Through doing so, we are not only promoting better, inclusive outcomes for them but also enabling them to be educated within their local communities rather than have to travel additional distances, to provision which is further away. This isn’t just about cost (though there are cost benefits), it is also taking a position that children and young people with additional needs shouldn’t always have to go outside of their communities to get the support they need. As a recent report says, “As a nation we have a responsibility to create a truly inclusive education system so that all children, irrespective of their needs, can be educated as close to their home as possible”.
- Promoting independence and choice – we support many local authorities to think beyond providing transport directly and giving families a choice about how they get their child to school. Not only does this reduce the volume of transport requests that the local authority has to manage, but for young people with SEND, promoting personal budgets and independent travel training can begin to embed the concept of independence, and all of the later benefits that this can bring. It also helps to address the tricky conversation that there is also a degree of parental responsibility to get their child to school wherever possible. Ultimately, most children want to be taken to school by someone they that they know and trust; and this would generally mean the parent / carer wherever possible for a child with SEND as it would be for any other child, with the family first and foremost supported to do this. In Post 16, it also begins to convey a message that transport will not always be provided as the young person approaches adulthood, and that a more independent approach needs to be embedded. This also needs a common message amongst professionals who work with families, so that one element isn’t setting up a tension with another.
- Aligning SEN place planning with Home to School Transport: We see many examples of where an SEN service places a child / young person first and then makes the request for transport. This can mean that the department responsible for the transport is left to arrange the transport after a decision has been made. We promote a more joint planning approach where transport is considered as part of the planning. This is not to put a barrier to the right placement, moreover to ensure that there is at least a conversation at this stage. We saw one example where the SEN team arranged what they believed to be a more cost-effective placement, but when transport was factored in, it cost more than the more expensive placement would have done with transport similarly factored in. Joint planning would have avoided this.
Through considering the above alongside areas such as route optimisation and use of vehicle types, there is an opportunity to deliver Home to School Transport in a more cost-effective way which can also support the agenda of better outcomes for young people with SEND.
Ultimately, there is also something to be said for an effective approach to early intervention and prevention which reduces the need for some EHCPs and specialist provision / transport in the first place. Whilst accepting that a proportion of children and young people will always need this support, there will be a similar proportion who could have their needs met in mainstream provision without such interventions if their needs could be more easily met at a lower level and earlier stage of their presentation. Peopletoo have also undertaken work to increase the oversight of early intervention in early years, and would always advocate for having a SEND specialist post supporting this. In this sense, we see the effectiveness of SEND services having a clear impact upon wider determinants such as Home to School Transport.
At Peopletoo, we have worked with a number of local authorities to make the connection between these interdependencies to improve outcomes in one area, and thereby reduce cost in another, through taking a whole system approach. The breadth of our experience across numerous SEND and transport improvement programmes places us in a strong position to be able to do this.
If you would like to speak to us to find out more about how Peopletoo can support you, please contact mark.gray@peopletoo.co.uk