Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the presumption that a child can be accompanied by a parent when determining whether a walking route to school is available in Surrey.

As a general rule, a child who lives within the statutory walking distance of their school, and is able to walk to school accompanied by an adult, will not be eligible for free travel on the grounds of their special educational needs and disability, their mobility problem or the safety of the route.

However, the department’s statutory guidance makes it clear that local authorities should not have a blanket policy of never arranging free travel for a child who would be able to walk to school if they were accompanied. Additionally, where a parent provides good reasons why they are unable to accompany their child, the local authority should decide based on the circumstances of the case. The department currently has no plans to review this guidance. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel.