Can I get free school transport for my SEND child?

The two routes in

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide free home-to-school transport for eligible children of compulsory school age. There are two routes that commonly apply to SEND children:

1. The distance route. Children qualify if the nearest suitable school is over the statutory walking distance: over 2 miles for under-8s and over 3 miles for 8 and over. This is the standard rule for all children regardless of SEND.
2. The SEND route. Children with SEND can qualify even when they live within walking distance, if they can't reasonably be expected to walk to school because of their SEND, disability, or medical needs. This is the route most SEND families use.

Both routes are set out in the DfE's statutory guidance on home-to-school travel.

What “can't reasonably be expected to walk” means

This is the council's assessment, but it commonly covers SEND children who:

• Don't have road safety awareness and can't walk to school safely even when accompanied.
• Have severe sensory or behavioural needs that make a typical walk impractical (e.g. autistic children who become severely dysregulated by walking to school).
• Have physical mobility issues that make walking unsuitable.
• Have anxiety-based school avoidance where transport is part of an attendance recovery plan.

How to apply

Apply through your council's SEND transport application (usually on the council website). You'll need:

• Proof of address and the school your child attends.
• Evidence of SEND: EHCP if you have one; clinician letters; school SENDCO statement.
• A statement of why your child can't reasonably walk to school, with specifics.

For children with an EHCP, transport is often agreed as part of the EHCP itself; it sits in Section H or is referenced in Section I.

The “nearest suitable school” trap

Councils are only required to provide transport to the nearest suitable school. If you've named a school other than the nearest suitable one (e.g. a further specialist school over a nearer mainstream), the council may refuse transport on the basis the nearer school could have met your child's needs.

The argument back is that the nearer school isn't suitable. The same evidence stack you used to argue for the specialist placement on the EHCP (medical letters, SEN reports, EP recommendations) is what underpins the transport claim. If the specialist school is named on the EHCP, the council usually has to fund transport to it.

If refused

• Most councils have an internal transport appeals process; use it.
• Beyond that, complain via the council's corporate complaints procedure.
• The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman regularly upholds SEND-transport complaints.
• IPSEA publishes guidance specifically on home-to- school transport disputes.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.