Guide for Applicants
Assistance with Travel from Home to School and College
This form is for parents, legal guardians and young people who live in the Bradford Metropolitan District of West Yorkshire.
Before you fill in the form please read Bradford Council’s “Policy Covering Travel between Home, School and College” at www.bradford.gov.uk/education, and at Bradford Schools Online. https://bso.bradford.gov.uk/content/schooltravel .
Is this the right form for you?
Only use this form if you are a student over the statutory school leaving age attending school or college.
Do not use this form if your child is of statutory school age and has additional needs. Use Form PAT 033 “Application for Assistance with Travel from Home to School for Children of Statutory School Age with Additional Needs”. If your child is of statutory school age and does not have additional needs, please use Form PAT002 “Application for Assistance with Travel from Home to School for Children of Statutory School Age".
Why is this information required?
· To establish whether you are eligible for assistance.
· To assess your needs when travelling so that the assistance we give is suitable.
It is detailed because specialist vehicles, equipment or supervision may be required so that you travel safely to school or college in comfort with dignity and ready to learn.
The Post 16 Travel Policy
There are significant changes for young people who reach the end of their statutory school education at 16 years of age. Local Authorities, schools and colleges must now take reasonable steps to ensure young people can travel independently to prepare them for adult life and employment. The qualifying criteria and provision differs significantly from the current policy. Applications will be assessed against the entitlement set out in the Post 16 Policy.
The main changes are:
· The Council requires that all applicants are assessed for their ability to undertake successfully a course of travel training that will enable them to travel on a specific route and journey to and from school or college.
· A new application for assistance is now required because the student is over 16 years of age. This is required even when the student continues at school and has previously received assistance up to statutory school age.
· If transport provision is included in Part 6 of the young person’s Statement of Special Educational Needs, free travel will continue to be provided. However an assessment of travel training capability will determine the appropriate provision.
· Parents/students must agree to an assessment of travel training capability. In some cases it will be evident this is not appropriate but where it is possible and the young person is able to develop their independence through travel training, support will be given.
· Where an assessment and training is successfully carried out the travel arrangement will be a zero fare pass to travel on public transport.
· If the student is not able to travel independently at the time of assessment the parent has a choice of either the Council making the provision by minibus or taxi or making their own arrangement using their car.
· Assistance is only available for a period of three years, to be undertaken between age 16 and 25.
How do you decide if the young person is eligible for assistance?
When we decide whether a young person is eligible we can only consider the qualifying criteria in the policy, primarily these are:
· The student’s home address held at the school/college. Please ensure you inform the school/college of any change of address before making an application.
· The student’s attendance at the nearest qualifying school/college to the home address.
· If the student attends a preferred school/college and there was a place at the nearer school/college at the time of allocation of school/college places during the admissions process and offering the same course, it is unlikely that assistance will be given.
· The distance between the two measured along the nearest available walking route.
· Family income where there are no mobility problems.
· Whether the student has problems with mobility which prevent them from walking to school/college because of their special educational needs, disability or temporary medical condition.
There are other qualifying criteria, please refer to the policy for full details.
What sort of assistance is available?
If the student qualifies, we will provide the form of assistance that is suitable to meet their needs and can best achieve the goal travelling independently. It could be one or more of the following subject to an assessment of the student’s potential ability to travel independently on a specific journey to and from school/college, and their age.
Students aged 16 to 18 years.
· The student will usually be given a Zero Fare Pass unless they have a mobility problem.
o a Zero Fare School Pass, which is accepted for travel on buses and trains operating within the county of West Yorkshire and allows one journey to school/college and one journey home between 7am and 7pm each school/college day – it can be used on more than one service if no direct service is available and the student needs to change from one bus service to another (or from bus to train and vice versa). But it is not valid if they break their journey unnecessarily and try to re-board without paying.
o a Zero Fare Boarding Pass, which would allow the student to travel on a school bus free of charge – these ‘school specials’ are funded by the local authority to serve areas where ordinary bus services are not available.
The Pass will be issued by Metro, details of routes and times are available on www.generationm.co.uk
· Assistance with helping the student travel independently to school/college.
o travel training to enable the student to work towards travelling independently on public transport;
o a travel buddy who could walk with the student or travel with them on public transport for a short period of time.
· Provision of transport if the student is assessed as being unable to travel independently to school/college.
o a taxi or a minibus from their permanent home address to the school/college at which they are on roll, at the beginning and end of the school/college day; with an escort if required following an assessment of need. If we offer to provide a taxi or a minibus, the student is likely to travel with other students. There is a charge for this of £370 per year. There are two payment options, by cheque or a Direct Debit Instruction to your Bank or Building Society. If you qualify for assistance we will send you an invoice and further details on how to pay.
o An allowance if you would like to use your own vehicle or make your own arrangement to take the student to and from school/college. Currently paid at £7.90 per day attended up to a maximum payment of £500 per term. If you qualify for assistance we will send you claim forms for payment on the basis of three school terms.
Students aged 19 to 25 years.
Students applying from age 19 to 25 are only eligible for the payment of the allowance.
If you qualify for assistance the transport arrangement will be valid until the end of the academic year unless your circumstances change.
What if I move house or move to a different school/college?
You must phone the School Travel Team at once. Existing arrangements will be terminated. If you still want assistance to get to and from school/college, you must fill in a new application form that includes up-to-date information so we can re-assess whether you are eligible for assistance.
When should I apply?
Students applying for assistance for the academic year starting in September 2015 should be sent to the School Travel Team by Friday 26 June 2015, otherwise:
· As soon as possible when the student is admitted to school/college.
· When a significant review of the student's needs takes place and we request a new form.
When will I hear if the student qualifies for assistance and when would I receive it?
· For applications from pupils transferring from Year 11 to Year 12 and in subsequent years.
o We assess applications in date order of arrival at our office up to the deadline of Friday 26 June 2015 in time for the start of the Autumn Term.
o For applications received after this date we cannot guarantee it will be processed before the start of the new school year.
o We aim to issue Zero Fare Passes for all those who qualify in August.
o We will arrange dedicated transport by taxi or minibus as soon as practicable when we have received your study timetable (we will obtain your time-table from school/college when it is available), and depending on the measures we need to put in place to help with your needs.
· For applications received during the year
o We aim to assess the application within 30 working days from the date we receive your fully-completed form.
o If we agree your child needs a Zero Fare Pass, it can take an additional 10 days for it to be issued by Metro.
o If we agree that your child needs a taxi or minibus, it can take an additional 15 working days to put the necessary arrangements in place, more if an escort is required.
What if I apply for assistance, but I don’t qualify?
We will send you a letter explaining why.
If I don’t qualify, where can I get details of public transport to schools?
Metro provide a range of tickets that can be used to travel to and from school and some can be used at other times during weekdays and at weekends.
Full time students who are permanently resident in West Yorkshire and aged 16 to 18 are permitted to travel at half fare on buses and trains within West Yorkshire on production of a Scholar’s PhotoCard. For more details about these smart cards visit www.generationm.co.uk
What if I need to make other journeys?
If you need to find out which buses serve the area in which you live, call Metroline on 0113 245 7676. Bus and train times in West Yorkshire can also be found on Metro’s website at www.wymetro.com
If you are blind or disabled you might be able to apply for a Metro Travel Pass. This pass lets you travel for free on local buses at certain times and get cheaper train fares.
· If you have a disability, contact the Transport and Education Team, Revenues and Benefits, Britannia House, Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1HX. Tel. 01274 438723
· If you are registered blind contact the Sensory Needs Service (Blind Person’s Applications) Morley Street Resource Centre, 124 Morley Street, Bradford, BD7 1BB. Tel. 01274 435001
Is there any other funding I can apply for?
The Department for Education supports a Bursary Fund to enable schools and colleges to target assistance to those young people aged 16 to 19 facing the greatest financial barriers to participation. If you receive a Bursary it will not contribute to your household income.
Please be aware that each school or college may set out their own qualifying criteria for payments from the fund which may or may not cover transport costs.
Further details of the new Bursary Fund are available from your school or college and at http://readingroom.Isc.gov.uk/YPLA/ypla_16-19_Bursary_Fund_Guide_for_2011-12-gn-Jun11-v1.pdf
All applications for a Bursary must be made to the school or college, not the School Travel Service.
Further Information
If you need any further information on the Policy, you can also contact Paul Hart Policy Development Officer (School Travel and Transport).Tel 01274 385988, email
PAT051a Guide for Applicants Post 16 v3 15.04.15 Page 1 of 4