Dudley Council provides education travel support for eligible children and young people up to the age of 25.
Travel support can come in a variety of forms including travel training, bus pass, personal allowance or other direct transport, as appropriate to individual pupils' needs as determined by Dudley Council.
All applications for home-to-school travel support are considered on an individual basis.
There are a number of ways your child can qualify for transport support. Please read Education Travel Support Policy (PDF), section 5 for details of eligibility.
Non-urgent calls regarding transport matters should be made between 10am and 2pm.
This designated time frame allows our transport team to efficiently address inquiries in the morning and later in the afternoon from parents, contractors, and schools concerning existing transport arrangements.
In managing our transport services effectively, we ask for your understanding in allowing a period of 3 working days for the response to non-urgent emails. This timeframe enables our transport team to prioritise their tasks, ensuring that urgent requests receive prompt attention.
Applications for travel support for the upcoming academic year must be submitted by 28 June. This deadline applies to both new applications and renewal requests for September.
As most children and young people (CYP) receiving support in Dudley have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND), schools are available to assist with technical language or online form submissions.
When schools submit applications on behalf of families, they must confirm in writing that they have consulted with and received approval from parents/carers. We strongly encourage parents and schools to collaborate on preparing applications. However, it is primarily the parents' responsibility to apply for travel support for their children, ensuring that all information is accurate, and the forms are fully completed. Incomplete forms may be rejected, and even if support is approved, missing information can delay the determination of appropriate support.
We are here to help make this busy time as smooth as possible and are committed to keeping you informed throughout the process.
Any application forms received after 20th August will not be reviewed until 10th September due to capacity constraints and ensuring that transport is in place for the September start.
The team is now focusing on processing the necessary information for parents, contractors, and schools. We appreciate everyone's patience as we finalise the requirements for September.
Our contracts with contractors are reviewed annually, or as needed, to align with service requirements. The H2S team is responsible for ensuring that routes are both effective and economically viable. As part of this process, the H2S team will be reviewing certain contracts to ensure they meet service needs. Non-compliance with our policy may result in contract termination.
Transport letters have been sent to parents where there may be a change in their contractor for the next academic year. If you have not received a letter, it means we anticipate the contractor will remain the same for the 2024/25 academic year.
Please note that some changes may occur outside the control of the H2S (Home to School) team, such as crew changes. Other factors that may affect your child’s transport include changes in the students they travel with, which can result from students changing schools or adjustments to the route for geographical reasons.
In implementing these changes, we will ensure that the needs of the children remain our priority, that they are not disadvantaged, and that parents/carers are kept informed.
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