Plans will improve travel to and from school for thousands of pupils
02 Jun 2023 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
For more information about school transport in Northumberland click here.
Plans to improve the journeys of thousands of pupils to and from school have been welcomed by councillors.
In Northumberland, there are currently 40,651 students attending 151 schools across an area of 5,013km2. Around 8,000 are eligible for transport support on a daily basis at an annual cost of around £16m.
After an in-depth review of the service and listening to feedback from young people and families, plans are underway to transform education transport across the county.
- A new ‘one-stop-shop’ for school admissions and education transport will make the application process as seamless and straightforward as possible for parents and carers, with children and young people at the heart of all decision making.
- A team of independent travel trainers will be appointed to provide one-on-one support to young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who wish to gain more confidence on their journeys, such as using public transport.
- A pilot project will take place with two special schools to devolve transport budgets to allow greater flexibility in the way transport can support SEND pupils, schools, families, curriculum and extra-curricular activities.
- Increases to Personal Budgets and the introduction of Enhanced Budgets for some complex and long-distance journeys are being explored, with the potential to provide more flexibility and choice.
- The future could also see digital mapping of routes, with parents able to see their child’s journey in real-time providing greater peace of mind.
A total of 36 recommendations were made in the review with 30 underway and the remaining due to begin shortly. An update on the progress of the review was presented to the council’s Family and Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, Cabinet member with responsibility for Inspiring Young People, said: “It’s the ambition of this council for young people to be able to receive the best education for them as close to their homes as possible.
“92.6% of our schools are good or outstanding, which is brilliant news and we’re investing in our school facilities across the county.
“But with many of our young people living in rural communities, longer journeys for some students to and from school are necessary, especially as students get older and access post-16 education or if they require specialist provision.
“In carrying out this review, we listened to our children, young people, parents, carers and schools and we believe these recommendations will make the service work better for everyone.
“One important area that was highlighted was the desire of young people with additional needs to be more confident to travel independently and our new independent travel trainers will work one-on-one with young people and families and support them on their journey to independence.
“Over the next five years, we are creating hundreds of more places for children and young people with additional needs which will further reduce the need for long journeys.”
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For more information about school transport in Northumberland click here.