Yesterday’s (Wednesday 7th May) meeting of the Education, Children’s and Families Committee approved a revised proposal for changes to home to school travel for teenagers and young adults with SEND.
It has long been the Council’s view that every child and young person in Sheffield should travel to their place of learning as independently as possible, arriving safely, settled, and ready to learn. This is even more important once they start to look towards young adulthood.
But demand for these vital services continues to increase. This is closely linked to the rising number of children and young people with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP), as well as the need for specialist provision.
This increase in demand places additional pressure on the Council’s transport budget. That demand is again expected to increase by up to 25% by September 2026.
In December (2024), that month’s meeting of the Education, Children’s and Families Committee asked the people of Sheffield for their opinions on proposed changes to the home to school travel provision. A consultation began in January this year (2025).
With feedback received and compiled, the revised policy for ‘Post-16 Discretionary SEND Home-to-School Travel Support’ was brought to committee yesterday. The report also sets out the council’s vision for promoting independence in travel.
Feedback came from a broad range of stakeholders, including young people, parents and carers, education providers, and professionals.
We received 975 responses in total. Parents/carers were by far the largest group of respondents with 860 responses.
The feedback emphasised the need to tailor support to individual circumstances, ensuring any changes continue to promote access to education, foster independence, and remain achievable.
In line with our broader vision of maximising independence wherever practical, we are committed to empowering families by providing greater choice and control over transport arrangements, supported by independent travel training.
Based on the above, the three main proposed changes to provision for young people with SEND include:
- Personal Travel Budgets (PTBs) as an optional choice for existing students currently accessing SEN travel support. Families will have the flexibility to either opt for PTBs or transport. These will also be the first offer for new applicants
- The expansion of the ‘Freedom to Travel – Skills for Life’ Independent Travel Training (ITT) program. The programme will be further developed, expanding its scope to provide enhanced independent travel training for students with SEND. This initiative aims to empower students to develop essential travel and life skills, and grow confidence and independance
- Increase in fees for young people on taxi and minibus provision – subject to a separate, further consultation
“Sheffield City Council has always firmly believed the city should be a place where all children belong, and all young people can build a successful future.
“We set out to improve the service we have been providing for Sheffield’s children, and where we have already been making strides in this area. This consultation has helped us revise that further to be more tailored to people’s needs.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to all who took part in this consultation to ensure the priorities of yourselves, the people who live here and may be affected by these changes, were heard.”
Cllr Dawn Dale, Chair of the Education, Children’s and Families Committee at Sheffield City Council
Following approval yesterday, parents and carers will be contacted directly to inform them of the changes, and a revised policy will be published shortly.
The consultation on the increase in fees for taxi and minibus provision will be drawn up, and people will be notified when they can take part via the Have Your Say Sheffield website.
For more information on the consultation, feedback received and the approved changes, read the full report brought to yesterday’s committee meeting at the Council's website.