Getting to school with SEN
SEN children must meet the same criteria for free school travel
as other children. We offer free home to school transport
to:
- all children who are under 8 years of age if they live more
than 2 miles from their nearest appropriate
school
- all children who are 8 years and over if they live more
than 3 miles from their nearest appropriate
school
- live less than these statutory distances from school but
where we class the walking route to school as
hazardous (we have hazardous route guidelines to
judge this)
Read more about applying for free home to
school transport
Travel to college
Download the SEN form for transport to college (PDF,
147k)
If your child has a statement
Children who have a statement
of SEN and who live less than these statutory distances
from school may be entitled to free transport if their special
needs make it difficult for them to get to school. For example,
your child may be severely autistic and the journey to school may
be very difficult even when you accompany them.
It is up to you to decide whether your child needs to be
accompanied on their journey to school. This could be on foot or by
car.
We will decide whether or not we should give your child free
transport to school because of their special needs. To do this, we
will look at how much your child's journey is hampered by their
needs even if they are accompanied by a responsible adult. We will
take into consideration your child's physical mobility and social
interaction skills.
We don't have to give your child free transport to
school if the school they go to is not the closest one that can
meet their needs.
For more advice about your child's particular journey to school,
you should speak to your named officer or the
Additional Educational Needs team at your local Kent County Council
office.