| Pupils attending
church schools
Only if your child goes to a church school and this school confirms that your child is baptised in the faith to which the school provides collective daily worship or the parish priest / local vicar etc can confirm that you the
parent(s) adhere to the religion in question.
The ETS can consider your child for assistance if they are attending a church school, which is more than the qualifying distance because a place cannot be offered at a similar church school, which is within that distance.
Pupils with learning difficulties and / or disabilities.
The ETS may pay for the cost of transport assistance if your child has a “Statement of Special Educational Need” irrespective of how far away you live from the school. Your child may be provided with a free bus pass or a special vehicle e.g. taxi, minibus, wheelchair accessible vehicle etc to help them get to
school.
Applications are considered on their own merits.
The ETS can take into account whether your child lives within walking distance and is able to walk, whether they are able to use public transport or whether due to the nature of their special needs your child requires a special vehicle.
Your child must be attending the nearest available school which meets their needs. If you choose to send them to a school further away from your home, you will have to pay the cost of the transport.
Assistance is reviewed because, in many cases, as pupils become older their needs can change.
The ETS can also consider helping those students with special needs that attend specialist schools/colleges outside of the Birmingham area.
Further information can be obtained from the Education Transport
Service - full details on our Contacts page. Your child must be attending the nearest available school / college that meets their needs and the placement must be agreed as the most appropriate placement by the
Inclusion Support Service.
Pupils attending
specialist centres
The ETS may pay for the cost of transport assistance if your child goes to a Behavioural Support Centre or part of the James Brindley School.
Applications are considered on their own merits.
Your child may be provided with a free bus pass or a special vehicle, eg: taxi, minibus, wheelchair accessible vehicle etc to help them get to school.
The ETS can take into account whether your child lives within walking distance and is able to walk, whether they are able to use public transport or whether, due to the nature of their special needs, your child requires a special vehicle.
Further details about a special vehicle being provided can be obtained from your child's schools or from the Education Transport
Service - full details on our Contacts page.
Pupils from low income families (Years 7 to 11 only)
From September 2008 children from low income
families (children who are in receipt of free school
meals or whose parents are in receipt of the maximum
of working tax credit) may be eligible for free
transport assistance to one of their three nearest
‘qualifying’ schools where they live more than 2
miles but not more than 6 miles from that school and
to the nearest school preferred by reason of a
parent’s religion or belief up to a maximum of 15
miles. Evidence of eligibility is required.
‘Qualifying’ Schools’ are:
- community, foundation or voluntary schools
- pupil referral units
- city technology colleges (CTC), city colleges
for the technology of the arts (CCTA) or Academies
Eligibility will be re-assessed at the end of
each academic year. If circumstances change
eligibility could be withdrawn at the end of the
school year. There is no guarantee that assistance
will be provided throughout the child’s secondary
education. When a parent from a low income
family has expressed a preference for a school
based on their religion or belief written
supporting evidence supporting evidence as to how
and why that school meets their needs must be
provided. The term belief has to be more than an
opinion or idea held by a parent and must be
genuinely held. Examples of where we will not
consider assistance based on religion or belief
are as follows:
- a wish for a child to attend a particular
category of school e.g. a grammar school or
grant maintained school.
- a wish for a child to be taught in a
particular language
- a belief that a child should be privately
educated
- objections to the rules requiring school
uniform to be worn
- content of school curriculum
- a belief that a particular school would
provide a better standard of education
Further advice can be obtained from this web or
you can contact the
Education Transport Service. |
