We provide free school transport to the nearest school to your home if it is over the walking distances set out by law.
Following a public consultation, changes to the Home to school travel policy were agreed by the council on 24 July 2024 and they will come into effect from 1 September 2024. The changes to home to school travel eligibility will apply to applications received for a school place or where there is a change in circumstance such as a house move from that date forward.
Read the home to school travel policy from 1 September 2024 (pdf / 1 MB).
Currently, you do not need to apply for free home to school transport if your child is starting a school, and you have applied for a place at one of our schools. We will automatically assess your child's eligibility and will send you a pass if you are eligible.
We provide free school transport to the nearest school* to your home if it is over the following walking distances:
*the nearest suitable school for transport purposes includes schools in neighbouring authorities. If you live near the boundary, you might find that the nearest school is outside of North Yorkshire.
Free school transport is available to eligible pupils from the start of reception year until the end of year 11.
If the nearest school is full, transport will be provided to the nearest school with places available, in line with our transport policy.
A child is eligible for free travel to school if:
To be eligible on these grounds, a child does not need to:
Not every child with an Education Health and Care plan or who attends a special school will be eligible for free travel to school.
To qualify for eligibility on the grounds of special educational needs, disability or mobility problems, the council is required to complete an individual assessment of the child, and this will take into account the child’s physical ability to walk to school, and any health and safety issues related to their special educational needs, disability, or mobility problems.
The council may take into account whether the child would be able to walk to school if they were accompanied by an appropriate adult. The council will consider each case on its facts.
Information the council may consider when assessing a child’s eligibility may include (but is not restricted to) the following;
Where a child is attending their nearest qualifying school and a parent feels that their child qualifies, they will need to provide some or all of the information to allow the council to make a decision. The council would expect that the information, to support parents request for transport due to their child’s needs, is already in parents’ possession and is easily available. A parent will need to contact the authority to request an assessment under SEND, disability or mobility travel eligibility.
The following categories of children from low income families are eligible for free home to school transport:
A low income family is where children are entitled to free school meals or whose parent are in receipt of the maximum level of working tax credit.
Eligibility will be assessed each year and may be withdrawn if your benefits change. View more information about financial support for young people aged over 16.
A suitable school for the purpose of applying the policy is a ‘qualifying school’ that is suitable for the child’s age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs they may have.
It should also be suitable for the child’s sex, for example a girls’ school could not be considered the nearest suitable school for a boy.
‘Suitable school’ does not mean the most suitable school for a child, or one that the parent considers suitable. The nearest secondary school to the home of a child of secondary school age, for example, will almost always be their nearest suitable school (provided it would be able to admit them).
A nearest suitable school may also be in a neighbouring local authority.
Qualifying schools are:
For children with special educational needs, an independent school is also a qualifying school if it is the only school named in their Education, Health, and Care plan, or where more than one school is named in the Education, Health, and Care plan, the school nearest to the home address named in the Education, Health, and Care plan will be the qualifying school.
Where a child’s nearest school is oversubscribed, and an application has been made for the school during the normal admissions round, and the admission authority is unable to offer them a place, then the next nearest school with places available is their nearest suitable school for school travel purposes.
When a child moves into the area, outside the normal admissions round, the suitable school for transport purposes is the nearest provision which can offer a school place. The eligibility criteria will then be applied.
The nearest qualifying school for school travel purposes may not be the catchment school used for admissions purposes.
The council is unable to take into consideration a parent's view of which school is suitable, in terms of the home to school travel policy, and would not consider the following:
The council does not accept that obtaining a place at a grammar school means that the grammar school in question can be regarded as the nearest suitable school.
Parents have the right to preference any school of their choice when applying for a school place, they do not however have a right to free-of-charge travel arrangements to that school. Travel eligibility will be assessed in line with the eligibility criteria outlined in the transport policy.
If the nearest school is undersubscribed with places available, then this will be the nearest suitable school for travel purposes, and free travel would not be provided to an alternative school that is further away.
If the nearest school is fully subscribed without places available, then the council will need to assess if the child could have secured a place had one been applied for. This will be done by comparing the child with the last child to be offered a place at the school and determining which of them would have higher priority. This will often be a straightforward matter of determining which child lives closest to the school.
If your child is currently at school and you have moved home, or your circumstances have changed, it is your responsibility to notify us of this change. This may affect your child's eligibility to free home to school transport. Unfortunately, we are not able to back date any change so it is important you tell us straight away, please contact us.
Visit our timetable information page to check which buses serve your area and when.
The mode of transport provided for eligible children will be either by:
In exceptional circumstances, allowances may be paid for parents to use their own transport. Children with specific mobility difficulties may be provided with specialist transport however, each case will be assessed on its own merit.
A denominational school is also included as a qualifying school when assessing eligibility to free home to school transport.
Where education services are provided to denominational schools for pupils who are entitled to free home to school transport, there may be some availability for pupils who are not entitled under the policy to purchase a pass. However, this availability will be limited and will be sold on a first come first served basis under the paid travel permit terms and conditions.
The exception to this is children from low income families (children entitled to free school meals or whose parents are in receipt of the maximum level of working tax credit) who will still be eligible for free home to denominational school transport as follows:
This will be assessed on an annual basis and may be withdrawn if parents' benefits change.
If your child attends a residential special school, free transport or a transport allowance will be provided at mid and full term holidays. For post-16 pupils placed by the local authority at a residential school or college outside of the further and higher education sectors the help offered will be up to 12 return journeys a year for students and their parents or carers usually at a pre-determined mileage rate.
When deciding on eligibility for assistance with transport, the measurement from home to school will be taken from the boundary of the home to the nearest entrance gate (not always the main entrance) to the school following the nearest available walked route (this can include footpaths, bridleways and public rights of way). Where a private road or farm track exists, this is included in the measurement. This means that in some cases, pupils living in the same street or even in adjoining properties may not all be eligible for free home to school transport.
When deciding on eligibility for children in receipt of free school meals or if parents receive their maximum level of working tax credit, routes of two miles or less will be measured as a walked route, using footpaths or bridle ways. Routes over two miles will be measured along road routes. This only applies to children if they are in receipt of free school meals or if parents receive their maximum level of working tax credit.
The term 'home' in this policy means the permanent address where the child lives for most of the time. This will also be the address used on your school application.
Routes from home to school are regularly reviewed by the local authority to incorporate newly identified routes into the electronic mapping system used for measuring. If a route from home to school is re-measured and found to be under the qualifying distance, free home to school transport will be withdrawn with a six weeks notice.
All the vehicles used are subject to regular inspections and the drivers and assistants all have the relevant clearance to work with children.
We take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of pupils using the vehicles.
Pupils are expected to behave whilst travelling and wear a seatbelt, where fitted. Parents are reminded they are solely responsible for the safety of their children both before they board and after disembarking the vehicle and for ensuring their children get to and from the nearest pickup point on time.
You can request a replacement bus pass online if your school or college bus pass has been damaged, lost or stolen. Find out how to request a replacement bus pass.
Assistance may be provided for children not eligible for free transport for a short period of time in exceptional circumstances. These are considered on a case by case basis. For pupils with an Education Health Care Plan, their application should be made through the SEND transport team. For all other pupils applications should be made through the admissions, transport and welfare team.
There is a two stage appeal process when a parent or carer wishes to challenge a decision in relation to statutory transport:
Stage one
A request for a stage one review must be made in writing within 20 working days of the initial decision letter. The request:
Stage two
A stage two appeal must be made in writing by completion of an appeal form within 20 working days of receipt of the stage one response:
Where the person is unhappy with the outcome they will be advised how to escalate it to the Local Government Ombudsman who may investigate to decide whether there has been any maladministration.
For further information please contact us.
Please contact us.
By post:
Admissions
Transport Eligibility and Free School Meals
North Yorkshire Council
Document Management Centre
County Hall
Racecourse Lane
Northallerton
DL7 8AE