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Travel Assistance
This page contains information and advice about home to school travel assistance, including how to make an application.
Most children will make their own way to school, either with an adult, or independently if they are older. Children and Young People may also be entitled to free and/or discounted travel via public transport:
Free and discounted travel - Transport for London
Local authorities are required to arrange free home to school transport for eligible children of compulsory school age, to their nearest suitable qualifying school (section 508B of the Education Act (EA) 1996).
A child or young person may be eligible if:
- They have SEN, a disability, or a mobility difficulty
- The route to school is unsafe
- They live beyond the statutory walking distance
- They are from low-income families
See the following link for further information:
Transport: Children of compulsory school age (aged 5 to 16)
A child or young person does not need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to be eligible for transport.
Transport Criteria
Children of compulsory school age qualify for free school transport if they go to their nearest suitable school and any of the following apply:
- the school is more than 2 miles away and the child is under 8
- the school is more than 3 miles away and the child is 8 or over
- there’s no safe walking route between their home and school
- they cannot walk there because of their special educational needs or disabilities or a mobility problem
If your child does not qualify for free school transport for these reasons, they may still qualify if you have a low family income.
You can find out more here:
Help with travel to school or college | Royal Borough of Greenwich
Transport and EHCPs
If your child/young person has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), and it has been agreed that travel assistance is to be provided, SEND Travel Assistance will work with your SEN Officer and school to ensure that the form of travel assistance offered supports the outcomes that have been agreed. This will be reviewed on a yearly basis, or earlier, if there are any changes to your child/young person’s SEN needs, address, provision or placement.
Transport for under 5's
Children under the compulsory school age are not automatically entitled to travel assistance, but the local authority can use its discretion to make travel arrangements for your child.
The RBG Home School Travel Assistance Policy states:
4.2 Travel assistance for children and young people of pre-school age
Child/young person of pre-school age will not be offered travel assistance by Royal Greenwich other than in exceptional circumstances. Examples of exceptional circumstances could be:
- where a child/young person has special educational needs and has been provided with a specialist provision by Royal Greenwich,
- where either the parent/carer or child/young person has a disability or
- where there is intervention by Royal Greenwich on the grounds of safeguarding or social care.
For further information on Transport for under 5's, see the following:
IPSEA - Transport for children under 5
Contact - School Transport in England
Apply for transport
Click the link below to visit the Royal Greenwich Travel Assistance page to check eligibility and complete the application.
Application for Travel Assistance
If you are unable to complete the online form, you can print the following form:
Application for Travel Assistance Form
For children/young people with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) or medical condition, please send your completed form and any supporting documentation to:
SEND Travel Assistance Team
1st Floor The Woolwich Centre
Wellington Street SE18 6HQ
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 8921 8089
For children/young people without an education, health and care plan (EHCP) or medical condition, please send your completed application form and any supporting documentation to:
Admissions Service
1st Floor The Woolwich Centre
Wellington Street
SE18 6HQ
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 8921 8043 (Contact Centre)
Transport appeals
If you wish to appeal against the decision not offer travel assistance, you can complete the form below. You should also complete this form if travel assistance has been offered, but you wish to appeal against the proposed arrangements or changes to existing arrangements. Your appeal must be submitted within 28 days of receiving the decision letter.
Useful links
Home to school travel assistance | Royal Borough of Greenwich (royalgreenwich.gov.uk)
Transport to school or college for children and young people with SEND (ipsea.org.uk)
Transport - childlawadvice.org.uk
Challenging school transport policies in England | Contact