Qualifying school

The nearest qualifying school is the school nearest the child’s home that has places available that provides education appropriate to the age and ability of the child, and any SEN that the child may have. If you choose a more distant school, travel assistance will not be provided unless the extended rights apply.

A qualifying school can be a:

• Community, voluntary aided or foundation school
• Community, foundation or non-maintained special school
• Pupil referral unit
• Maintained nursery school
• A city technology college, a city college for the technology of arts, an academy school or an alternative provision academy

For children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, an independent school can also be a qualifying school where this is the only school named in the EHC plan or it is the nearest of two or more schools named.

If you choose a denominational school based on religious beliefs or a single sex school, you will not be eligible for travel assistance unless the school is the child’s nearest qualifying school.

Where a child is registered at a school, but is attending a place other than that school as a result of temporary exclusion, eligibility for home to school transport will be established based on the other place for the temporary period.