Council apologises over special school transport failure
Fiona Simpson
Thursday, August 11, 2022
A local authority has apologised to the family of a reception-aged child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) after suggesting he make a 12-mile journey to a new special school alone.
The boy, who started reception class at his new school in April 2021, did not receive transport to which he was entitled from Hampshire County Council until July, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) has found.
The council initially told the boy's parents that he would have to get a taxi alone to and from school as it was unable to provide an escort despite the child being assessed as needing one because of his age, and speech and language difficulties.
The taxi had been offered as an alternative after the boy’s father complained that the council’s initial offer of a place in shared transport, which would have taken 1 hour and 40 minutes each way due to collecting and dropping off other children, was unsuitable, the LGO report states.
The investigation found that the council offered the shared transport despite it taking nearly an hour longer than its own guidance on the maximum time limit on school journeys.
“The father was left with no other option than to drive his child to and from school between April and July, until the council sourced an escort,” the report states.
“The council should not have expected the family to provide either the escort or the transport,” it adds.
Hampshire County Council has agreed to apologise to the family and pay their mileage allowance for the school transport they provided.
It will also pay the family £400 to acknowledge their time and trouble of both having to drive their child to school and in bringing the complaint.
LGO Michael King has recommended that the council review its school transport offer letters to ensure it provides families with details of the statutory guidance, its policy and the appeals process.
He said: “The council should not have taken so long to put in place the escorted travel it was obvious from the outset this young child needed. While I appreciate the difficulties the council has in recruiting escorts, it should have worked on finding one, rather than expecting the family to pick up the slack.
“I welcome the council’s ready agreement to my recommendations to improve the process for parents in future.”
