Home-to-School Transport: Children with SEND

Victoria Collins Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd December 2024 Westminster Hall

[Victoria Collins (Harpenden and Berkhamsted) (LD)]

It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Mark, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) on securing this debate. Every child, no matter their background, can achieve great things, but sadly there is currently a postcode lottery for SEND provision, which means that a lot of our children are being left behind. The previous Conservative Government failed children with SEND by not planning effectively for the increased demand for SEND school places. One parent from my constituency wrote:

“Please, please help. This is unbelievable. I just can’t cope anymore. It’s looking like you are giving us no choice but to go to tribunal just to get him a school.”

As has been mentioned, this is about a fundamental right to education. The need is rising and the crisis is growing. Ultimately, that means that more children need to have more specific transport. The number of students on EHCPs has doubled from 105,000 eight years ago to 230,000 in 2023. In Hertfordshire, EHCP numbers are expected to continue to grow. The number of children and young people with EHCPs has grown by 223% in Hertfordshire alone. One of my constituents, Charlotte, is a parent to three children, all of whom have EHCPs and complex SEND. She says that being in a constant battle mode has become the norm, and to secure educational support, her eldest child now has to travel almost 100 miles a day just to go to school.

We heard today about children who have to travel one hour and 45 minutes and about Polly and the impact on her parents, and many Members talked about the inconsistency across their constituency and across the country. The growing need and the lack of SEND provision close to home means that getting transport has become increasingly tough. That is exacerbated by cuts to local transport. Many Members have spoken about the impact of this. It is essential that the transport is there to take children to school safely, as it has an impact on their wellbeing.

If there is not a suitable SEND school local to the child, councils are required to provide transport to a school that has capacity but can opt out of the funding, as has been discussed. The number of children travelling to specialist schools has increased by 24% in the last five years. The use of taxis to transport SEND children to and from school increased by 36% between 2019 and 2023. As has been mentioned, even if a child does get transport, they have to be able to rely on it actually being there.

Many Members have talked about cash-strapped councils. Up and down the country, councils were let down by the last Conservative Government and are struggling. Many are filling that financial black hole by charging families of SEND children. A study showed that at least six councils have begun consulting on proposals, with some asking families to pay as much as £933 per year. We heard about Jessica and her son, and other Members highlighted the amount that families are paying.

Ultimately, the rise in transport issues further highlights the issue of SEND provision near to where children live. We were let down by the last Conservative Government, who left SEND provision on its knees, and in Hertfordshire, we were let down by Hertfordshire county council, which had failings identified in a recent report. We are facing a twin crisis in funding special educational needs and local government. Urgent action is needed to ensure that all children can access the tailored learning and support that they need, and as close to home as possible.

That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for local authorities to be given extra funding and for a fairer funding formula on SEND to reduce the amount that schools pay towards EHCPs. We would establish a new national body for SEND to support children with complex and high needs, ending the postcode lottery. At the heart of this issue are our children and their families who want them to reach their full potential. As I said at the beginning, every child can achieve great things, no matter what; we must not let them down.