Appeals
Appeals for children of compulsory school age (5 to 16 years) can be on the grounds of:
- child eligibility
- distance measurement in relation to statutory walking distance
- safety of the route
- transport arrangements offered
Appeals for pre-school age children (2 to 4 years) can be on the grounds of:
- child eligibility
- travel arrangements offered
For all appeals there is a two stage appeal process.
Stage one
Parent/carers can request a review of our decision. Requests must be submitted in writing within 20 working days from receipt of our decision. The request should explain why the decision should be reviewed and provide any additional information about personal or family circumstances which parent/carers feel we should consider. A senior officer will review the decision and inform the parent/carer of the outcome in writing within 20 working days of receipt of the written request for review.
Stage two
If the parent/carer is not satisfied with the outcome at stage one, they can make a written request to escalate the matter to stage two. Requests must be submitted in writing within 20 working days from receipt of the stage one outcome letter. Within 40 working days of receiving the request, an independent appeal panel will consider written and verbal representations. The independent appeal panel will be independent of the original decision making process but not necessarily independent of the council. Parent/carers will receive a detailed written notification of the outcome within 5 working days of the panel meeting.
For more information about the appeals process, see the statutory guidance.
Any appeals received just before or during the school summer holidays may be delayed if there is any information to be considered which cannot be obtained from the school due to closure.
Once the parent/carer has gone through both stages of the appeals process they cannot re-apply for travel assistance within the same academic year unless there has been a significant and material change in circumstances.