School transport

We have published guidance on how coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions are impacting school transport:

What help with home to school transport is available?

Our Home to school transport assistance policy sets out the help we may be able to provide pupils who don’t live within walking distance of their nearest suitable school.

This distance, set out in the Education Act 1996, is measured by the shortest available walking route and is:

two miles for children under eight
three miles for children aged eight and over.

The help we provide for children who qualify is a free school transport bus pass.

Who qualifies for help?

The help is for full-time infant, junior and secondary school pupils to the end of year 11 who don't live within walking distance of their nearest suitable school.

Apart from qualifying on grounds of walking distance, children may also qualify if their family receives certain benefits (we would need to see proof of benefits entitlement):

Children aged under 8 who are entitled to Free School Meals or whose families get the maximum level of Working Tax Credit are entitled to transport to the nearest suitable school where the distance from home is more than two miles. This distance is measured along the nearest available safe, walkable route.
Children aged 8 to 16 who are entitled to Free School Meals or whose families get the maximum level of Working Tax Credit are entitled to transport to one of the three nearest suitable schools where the distance is between two and six miles.

If the school is preferred on grounds of religion or belief, we may provide transport if the school is the nearest appropriate school and the distance is between 2 and 15 miles.

Download a Free school transport application form.

How long does the help last?

We grant a bus pass for one academic year at a time. Parents have to apply every year with any evidence of Free School Meals or Working Tax Credit and we assess whether or not the child qualifies for help.

For each application, we measure distances to take into account new routes that may be shorter or longer than previous year's measurements.

If a child no longer qualifies for help, it becomes the parent’s responsibility to meet their child's transport costs.