Agenda item
Discretionary Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) transport provision
- Meeting of Lead Member for Learning and School Effectiveness, Thursday, 12th November, 2015 2.00 pm (Item 14.)
- View the background to item 14.
Report by the Director of Children’s Services
Minutes:
14.1 The Lead Member for Learning and School Effectiveness considered a report by the Director of Children’s Services which sought approval to make changes to the discretionary SEND transport provision from the 2016/17 academic year.
14.2 RESOLVED to approve the implementation of the proposals set out below in order to reduce spend on the discretionary home to school transport (HTST) budget from the start of the academic year.
i. offer support to those demonstrating the ‘highest level of need’ only by introducing tighter ‘exceptions’ criteria for post-16 SEND students and offering the most cost-effective support, as set out in a post-16 SEND transport policy. This would apply only to new applicants from September 2016;
ii. increase the current post-16 transport contribution from £370 to £608 (the 2015 cost of a bus Freedom ticket);
iii. introduce a 50% rate of contribution for low income families, at £304 and
iv. introduce an annual contribution for pre-school SEND travel assistance at the same rates as post-16 travel (£608 / £304).
Reasons
14.3 It is anticipated that East Sussex County Council (ESCC) will need to reduce expenditure by £70-90 million between 2016/17 and 2018/19 and all areas will need to be considered.
Supporting documents:
- Discretionary Transport SEND report, item 14. PDF 135 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 1, item 14. PDF 266 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 2, item 14. PDF 661 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 3, item 14. PDF 277 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 4, item 14. PDF 196 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 5, item 14. PDF 217 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 6, item 14. PDF 218 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 7, item 14. PDF 423 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 8, item 14. PDF 133 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 9, item 14. PDF 161 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 10, item 14. PDF 488 KB
- SEND Travel Appendix 11, item 14. PDF 85 KB