Coronavirus (COVID-19)
England is at Step Two of the roadmap out of lockdown. Restrictions are still in place.
Portsmouth City Council provides transport to mainstream or special schools for children and young people who meet specific criteria. This is set out in the Home to School Travel Assistance Policy and the Post 16 Learners statement.
For more information contact the specific department involved in providing transport for schools, based at Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth:
If you think your child may qualify for travel assistance, you can print off the application for a bus pass , or for travel assistance for post 16 learners with special educational needs.
If your child does not meet the statutory criteria for home to school transport as set out in the Home to school transport policy, in exceptional cases you can apply for transport using the Exceptional Circumstances Criteria. This will be assessed by The Access and Entitlement Officer or the Inclusion Support Panel. Transport may be in the form of a bus pass, reimbursement of costs or, in some cases, a minibus or car.
Parent and guardians receive the following information in writing when transport arrangements have been made:
Where necessary, we employ passenger assistants trained to look after pupils travelling on school transport. Passenger assistants are not expected to leave the vehicle in order to collect or deliver pupils. Parents must take their child to the vehicle.
Where there is no suitable adult to meet a child who is normally collected from transport, it is our policy for passenger assistants to place the pupil for safety with the duty social worker in children’s social care. The department is located on the fourth floor of the Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth.
We cannot provide travel assistance for:
Children with a statement of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are entitled to local authority travel assistance when the child is attending the nearest suitable school, as designated by the SEN Team, and at least one of the following applies:
Where a child is unable to travel safely to school, including where the pupil’s behaviour is such that it may threaten the safety of the pupils, driver and passenger assistants, the council reserves the right to suspend or withdraw transport support. Parents and guardians should make sure their child knows how to behave while travelling to school. Examples of unacceptable behaviour are:
Schools and Colleges can provide details of concessionary fares available to students. Those students who are considered to have exceptional need may be entitled to help with the cost of their transport to school or college. There is more information in the Post 16 Learners Statement available in the transport policy document – if you think you are entitled to travel assistance to college, please print off the travel assistance for post 16 learners with special educational needs application form and guidance notes.