Education and accessibility

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Context

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is responsible for education and training in England. The department manages transport policy relating to the accessibility of education and training in two specific areas:

  • Compulsory aged school children
  • Young people in further education aged 16 to 19 and those continuing in courses they started before their 19th birthday

Compulsory Aged School Children

Home to School Transport for compulsory school age children is the responsibility of the pupil's Local Education Authority (LEA). It must provide free home to school transport for pupils whose nearest suitable school is more than the statutory walking distance from their home (2 miles for under 8s, 3 miles for children aged 8 and over). Usually this is done by either providing a free bus pass, or laying on a dedicated school bus. LEAs also have discretionary powers to provide help with transport in a wide range of other circumstances.

Young People in further education aged 16 to 19

LEAs in consultation with their partners in colleges, Learning and Skills Councils, and Passenger Transport Authorities (where they exist) are responsible for developing and implementing a transport policy for students aged 16-19 and those continuing courses started before their 19th birthday. As there are different transport requirements in different areas these policies vary across the country. These policies can be viewed on the 16-19 DfES website 1 . Each policy must specify what transport arrangements are made for students with special educational needs and provide a reasonable level of support so that no student is prevented from accessing further education.

What DfES can and does do to aid accessibility

The current arrangements are designed to ensure that no child or young person of compulsory school age is deprived of an education through not being able to reach the nearest suitable school. This is particularly important for children with special educational needs and for children in rural areas, where public transport can be limited and incomes low. DfES also give power to LEAs and their partners to decide if they want to do more than the statutory minimum, for example by providing assistance to students who live less than 3 miles from their nearest schools. But it is for each LEA to decide whether it wants to do that, and defend any policy it adopts

  • Learner Support Funds - DfES also provides Learner Support Funds, which help students in further education overcome financial barriers to participating in learning (eg the cost of books, childcare and transport). Students receive money from their school or college according to family income and identification of needs. Individual colleges set their own eligibility criteria but prioritise students with disabilities and/or learning difficulties; those leaving care; people on probation; and students reaching the age of 19 and losing benefits during their courses.

Since August 2002, schools and colleges can also use Learner Support Funds to fund free or subsidised transport as long as they benefit all students. This means that these services need not be dedicated totally to transport to learning if they are part of transport provision for the wider community.

  • Connexions cards - Connexions services are local partnerships which bring together all the services and support people need during their teenage years. The Connexions Card aims to encourage and motivate young people to continue in learning after the age of 16, and every young person between the ages of 16 and 19 is entitled to have one. It rewards attendance and application through exciting and innovative rewards and also provides a range of discounts to help reduce the cost of learning, covering local transport, learning materials leisure.
  • In relation to transport discounts, cardholders currently have access to a nationally available discount with National Express and discussions are underway with other transport operators to secure both national and local discounts.

How accessibility planning links in

The Education Act 2002 places a requirement on the LEA to form a 16-19 transport policy following consultation with key partners including:

  • Colleges
  • Connexions Services
  • Learning and Skills Councils
  • Passenger Transport Authorities, where appropriate

Both the Social Exclusion Unit and Department for Transport approved of the new act as it encourages a partnership approach between LEAs, local Learning and Skills Councils, Further and Higher Education Institutes, transport authorities and Connexions to develop a coherent and cost effective policy for 16-19 transport.

The partnerships also have the freedom to include other organisations and agencies like Social Services, Health and the voluntary sector. To kickstart the process, £9 million was made available under the 'Transport Pathfinder Initiative' to test and develop different approaches to transport support and services including solving accessibility problems. The partnerships can be used in future local level accessibility planning. A current evaluation of the impact of the policy changes and the pathfinder projects will provide useful lessons to inform development of accessibility planning. The partnerships already use a wide range of funding sources including:

  • New education transport fund
  • Learner Support Funds
  • College funds
  • LEA funding
  • Local Transport Plans settlement
  • European Regeneration (Object 1 and 2 fund)
  • Charity match funding

Progress on related issues in SEU report

  • The DfES will issue guidance to LEAs and Learning and Skills Councils on the role that they should play in accessibility planning in mid 2004.
  • The DfES and DfT are currently working together to identify ways in which Government, local education and transport authorities and schools can create a step change in how children travel to school. This work focuses particularly on inclusion and sustainability.
  • From September 2004 the DfES will extend the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme (EMA) from the current 56 areas to the rest of the country. EMA is a weekly allowance of up to £30, paid directly to young people from low income families who stay on in further education. These allowances may be used to contribute towards transport costs.
  • From April 2002 to July 2003 DfES funded 70 areas that combined the highest levels of deprivation with the lowest levels of participation in further education under the Transport Pathfinders Initiative. This initiative was designed to test and develop different approaches for solving accessibility problems and is currently being evaluated.
  • From April 2003 £14m of Learner Support Funds was paid directly by the LSC to LEAs, to enable the partnerships to make real and sustainable progress in improving transport support and services. This will be followed by £13m in 2004/05 and £12m in 2005/06. These marginal reductions reflect the roll out of EMA nationally.

Contact Details:

Compulsory School Aged Children:

Hugh Jackson, Tel; 01325 391249, Email; hugh.jackson@dfes.gsi.gov.uk

Young People, 16 - 19 and Continuing:

Graham Clarke, Tel; 0114 259 4684, Email; graham.clarke@dfes.gsi.gov.uk

Text provided by DfES, August 2003

1 Link to policies: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/financialhelp/16-19transport/