Does my child qualify for home-to-school transport?
The council will provide transport free of charge, either by dedicated vehicle or bus pass, to the nearest available school (in urban areas) or "designated" school for your address (in rural areas), provided that the distance between home and school is greater than 2 miles for children aged up to 8 and 3 miles for children aged 8 and over. The distance is measured by the shortest walking route.
Additionally, if the distance from home to school is less than three miles, but along a route considered by the council to be an unacceptable walking route on the grounds of safety, free transport will be provided. Other safety issues will be considered on merit.
Home-to-school transport is not a door-to-door service pupils may be expected to walk a reasonable distance to and from home to appropriate pick up points. For secondary aged pupils this may be up to one mile.
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How do I apply?
A supply of application forms is readily available at the schools all year round. We encourage parents to ask at the school office, who can then contact us if there are requests or questions, or for fresh supplies of application forms.
There is generally a dedicated member of staff at each school who deals with school transport issues and day to day school bus queries, such as temporary bus passes. Naturally, parents may also contact us at the School Transport Section, by using the contact details found to the right on this page.
A useful source of information is the 'Information for Parents' handbook which is made available to every parent applying for a place at a school in Northamptonshire. This clearly sets out the qualifying criteria for home to school transport, and lists all villages and towns with the linked school(s).
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What if I choose a school that is not my nearest or designated school?
You may state preference for your child to attend any school. However, if as a result of expressing such a preference, your child is offered a place at a school other than your nearest (in urban areas) or designated (in rural areas), you will be required to accept full responsibility for transport and all costs incurred.
If the county council have to offer you a school place that is not amongst your 3 preferences and is more than 3 miles from your home address (2 miles for pupils up to 8 years of age), then assistance with transport will be offered (bus pass for public transport where appropriate or a dedicated school bus).
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What if I move house during my child's schooling?
If you move house into a different area you may either:
- Apply to move your child to the school linked to your new address and if successful the policy stated above will apply, or
- Retain your place at your child's current school but you will become responsible for your own transport provision and costs.
However, if your child is in the last stages of an examination course at the point of moving, there may be some temporary help available. Each case will be considered on merit and will be considered by a Senior Transport Officer.
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What about single sex and faith schools?
From September 2004, the policy for these schools has been changed. The council will offer no assistance with transport at all. There may however be some assisted transport provided by the schools themselves. Please refer to the appropriate school for details.
What if my child has special educational needs? Will he/she get free transport?
All pupils will be encouraged to develop, as appropriate, their independence when travelling to and from school. Transport will be provided when the school recommended by the County Council is beyond the normal walking distances of the transport policy as described earlier.
Transport will also be provided for journeys of less than three miles where the child's needs are such that a walk to school is not practicable. The need for transport will be assessed by the area Special Needs Assessment Panel.
To see the full special needs transport policy please use the link below.
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Transport for pupils aged 16+
Pupils aged 16 plus who are beyond the statutory age for education may apply for a subsidised bus pass (£360 per annum for academic year 2008/09) for use on school buses that have spare capacity. In addition pupils in this age group whose families qualify for certain benefits will still qualify for free transport to school or to college subject to the certain criteria. Please refer to the full scheme for details.
For further details on the 16+ transport scheme please follow the link below:
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Related section:
- Northamptonshire on Wheels (NOW)
NOW is a new project which has been designed to assist young people between the ages of 16 and 25 to address their transport problems when looking at further education, training or employment opportunities.