Concern at school transport changes for SEND pupils

Leaders at Derbyshire County Council have approved an overhaul of the authority's home-to-school transport services despite strong objections raised by families whose children have special educational needs.

Recently consulted on the changes, which it says will modernise its "outdated" policy across both mainstream and specialist school transport provision and promote more independence.

They include replacing door-to-door pick ups with shared pick‑up points, price increases and longer application times for arranging transport.

The cabinet member in charge of the changes said the needs of families would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

But the parents of children with SEND needs in particular responded negatively to key aspects of the proposals amid concerns they could disproportionately impact disabled children.

There was more support for the changes among parents whose children did not have special educational needs, particular for a more flexible payment approach for covering transport costs.

The council currently supports about 10,000 children and young people travelling to school every day across Derbyshire.

About 500 families responded to the consultation, a significant proportion of which were families with children with special educational needs (SEND).

They raised particular concerns about plans for shared pick‑up points, which will move towards central collection and drop-off locations rather than transporting children directly from home to reduce reliance on taxis and minibuses.

The change in policy would primarily target SEND pupils, where most door-to-door provision currently exists.

In the consultation, responses from parents suggested the approach could be unsafe or unsuitable for those who rely on door‑to‑door transport and have difficulty navigating public and potentially disruptive environments.

Higher charges were also marked as a concern, with parental contributions for post-16 learners set to go up for both mainstream and SEND learners who receive transport support but must contribute towards their costs.

Families will now face an annual increase in contributions in line with inflation. From September 2026, costs will increase from £483 to £499 for standard post-16 transport support.

Extending application processing times from 15 to 30 days is another area of concern, with parents fearing delays could leave children without transport support.

The changes are due to come into effect from September 2027, although some cost increases will be introduced from this September onwards.

Simon Mabbott, cabinet member for SEND and education services at the Reform UK-led authority, said the changes were necessary to maintain the service, noting costs had not been changed by the authority for three years.

"If anyone is going to be in danger, there will be a different solution offered [for shared collection points]...but of course, we've got to have a starting point," he said.

"When we looked at the numbers, with neighbouring authorities, [costs for families] still will be 30% - 60% lower.

"We'll work with families to try and find the right solutions."

However, Claire Wright, who runs a support service for families with SEND children in Tupton, said the changes "risk increasing exclusion, stress, and inequality for Derbyshire's most vulnerable children and families".

"Pick-up points are a disastrous idea and simply won't work", she said.

"Independence sounds positive and for some young people it absolutely is but independence has to be built safely and individually, not imposed because budgets are stretched.

"Policies often assume a level of family capacity that many SEND families simply don't have.

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