Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of SEND transport provision in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income families.

We have committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs and will bring forward a White Paper with plans to improve the special educational needs and disabilities system.