Who is responsible for organising school transport

When you are responsible

If you’re a parent or a carer of a child that is aged 5 to 16 years, then you are responsible for making sure your child attends school and their transport arrangements.

If you choose a school that is neither your catchment or nearest qualifying school, you will be responsible for transport for your child. This would be a long term commitment for you as a parent or carer and it needs very careful consideration.

Applying for school transport

All application forms must be returned by the 31 May to guarantee your application will be assessed by the beginning of the academic year.

If you apply later, transport may not be in place at the start of term and there may be a considerable delay. In this case, you are responsible for your child’s transport and any expenses you incur will not be refunded.

If you submit an application by 31 May and you do not hear anything about your application or receive a travel pass by mid-August, you should contact the School Transport team.

When we are responsible

There are 4 categories of statutory school age students living in Cumberland and attending their catchment or nearest suitable school who are eligible for Council funded travel assistance:

children who live beyond the statutory walking distance
children from low-income families (where extended rights apply)
children whose walking route to school is unsafe
some children with special educational needs (SEN), a disability or a mobility difficulty

Suitable schools

The nearest suitable school is defined as 'the nearest qualifying school with places available that provides education appropriate to the child's:

age
ability
aptitude
gender
special educational need

A qualifying school includes:

maintained schools (including academies) or nurseries
special schools approved under Section 342 of the Education Act 1996
pupil referral units
alternative provision academies

A suitable school is not necessarily the most suitable schools for a child. Schools are able to meet a wide range of needs. The nearest secondary school to the home of a child of secondary school age, for example, will almost always be their nearest suitable school (provided it would be able to admit them).

Where children meet the eligibility criteria, we will fund transport to such schools.

Where a child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan, the school named in the plan will normally, but not always, be considered to be their nearest suitable school.

Transport

Transport will be provided by the most appropriate means available. This may be a pass to travel free by public bus or train, or a vehicle which Cumberland Council has under contract from an approved transport operator.

Children who are issued a travel pass on a vehicle privately contracted to Cumberland Council will be restricted to travelling in the morning and afternoon at the standard times. Children who are issued with a Stagecoach travel pass may be able to travel flexibly for one journey to and one journey from the school daily.

Contact the School Transport team, Education SEND and Inclusion who will advise you of restrictions on your route.

Telephone: 0300 3031591 (choose option 1)

If your child is entitled to free transport

You will be responsible for supervising your child to and from the nearest pick up point. The pick up point will be located within a reasonable distance of home.

If you believe that a pick up point is unsuitable, for example, due to safety concerns, you can ask us to consider the suitability of the travel arrangements and whether a route safety assessment to the pick up point is needed.

You must also bear in mind that:

their journey to and from school may not be by the most direct route
the journey may involve a number of pick up and drop off points
the arrangements are likely to change from time to time

As a result, it will take longer to get to school than a non-stop journey or the most direct route from the pick up point.

Pick up and drop off times will be planned to take into account school or college start and finish times. Making sure that the child or young person arrives on time. We are unable to guarantee that pick up or drop off times will be compatible with any other arrangements that may be made by parents or carers.

We try to keep the home to school journey time each side of the school day, to no more than:

45 minutes for primary schools
75 minutes for secondary schools

We will always try to offer a solution which does not exceed the recommended maximum journey times. On some occasions, given the challenging nature of Cumberland's geography or as a result of traffic delays, these times may be exceeded.

Check if your child is entitled to free transport