Help with travel costs for 16+ with special or medical needs
Post 16 school transport
If you are a student, aged 16 or over, and have a special educational need or other medical condition that would prevent you from walking or travelling on public transport, the council may be able to provide assistance with transport.
Who qualifies?
You may be able to get help if you are over compulsory school age and
- are under the age of 19 at the start of the academic year (1 September) or you commenced your current course before you were aged 19 and are continuing on the same course, and
- are registered at a school or college and attending a full-time course for at least 450 hours per academic year over three terms (approximately 12 hours per week) and
- studying a further education course.
- have a special educational need or other medical condition that would prevent them from walking or travelling on public transport.
Educational setting
Assistance will be provided for a student to attend their nearest school or college offering the chosen course of study within the City of Plymouth boundary.
Assistance will be provided for a student to attend an educational setting outside Plymouth if this is the nearest setting offering the chosen course of study.
Transport will be provided.
- Up to the end of the academic year, in which you reach the age of 21, provided you start your course before your nineteenth birthday
- At normal school/college start and finish times (unless there's exceptional circumstances),
Who doesn't qualify under this policy?
Students who commence a course after their 19th birthday will not qualify for assistance under this policy; please see the Post-19 section below and the post-19 policy.
Post 19 Transport
Who qualifies?
If you are a student, aged 19 or over and under the age of 25, at the start of the academic year (1 September) and are commencing a new course of study, the council may be able to provide assistance with transport if all the following criteria are met:
- The learner has an EHCP that is maintained and is attending either:
- a further educational setting
- a setting maintained or assisted by the LA and providing further or higher education (or both)
- a setting outside the further and higher education sectors, where the Authority has secured education or training and boarding accommodation for that learner
- the setting's provision must be an essential requirement to fulfil the learning outcomes identified in the learner's EHCP
- the learner is unable, due to his or her disability and/or learning difficulty, to walk or use public transport independently
Educational setting
Assistance will be provided for a student to attend their nearest educational setting offering the chosen course of study within the City of Plymouth boundary.
Assistance will be provided for a student to attend a setting outside Plymouth if this is the nearest setting offering the chosen course of study or if the authority has secured education or training and boarding accommodation for the learner.
Appeals process
If your school transport application has been refused, you have the right to appeal. The appeal procedure is a two-stage process consisting of a review and an appeal.
Stage one: review
- A request for a review must be submitted within 20 working days of the date of the refusal letter.
- The written request should detail why you believe the decision should be reviewed and give details of any personal and/or family exceptional circumstances you believe should be considered.
- Within 20 working days of receipt of your written request, a senior transport officer will review the original decision and send you a written notification of the outcome of their review. This will include the decision reached, how the review was conducted, information about other departments and/or agencies that were consulted as part of the process, what factors were considered, and the rationale for the decision reached. If the review is refused, the letter will also confirm how to appeal against the decision.
Stage two: full appeal
- You have 20 working days from receipt of the local authority's review decision notification to make a written request to escalate the matter to an appeal.
- Within 40 working days of receiving your request, an independent appeal panel of 3 senior officers (independent of the original decision) will consider written and verbal representations from both the parent and officers involved in the case.
- Within 5 working days of the appeal panel hearing, a written notification of the outcome of their appeal will be sent to you. This will include the decision reached, how the appeal was conducted, whether other departments and/or agencies were consulted as part of the process, what information was considered, and the rationale for the decision reached.
- If the appeal is refused, the letter will also confirm your right to take the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman
City College Plymouth offers a half-hourly shuttle bus service to and from the city centre and the college's main sites. Students can use the bus free of charge with their college ID card. This service is a low-floor, disabled access vehicle. Contact the college for more details and a bus schedule.
Plymouth College of Art offers some assistance with travel costs; contact the college for more details.
If you have any questions, please email school.transport@plymouth.gov.uk or call 01752 308770.
You might also like
- School transport frequently asked questions
- Travel information frequently asked questions
- School transport for children with special needs or a medical condition
- Walking maps for schools
The Plymouth's Local Offer explains the support and services that are available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25 years.Continue reading
Plymouth's Local Offer
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