The School Run from Hell: How Cuts and Chaos Are Leaving SEND Kids Stranded
For most of us, the school run is a frantic blur of packed lunch and lost PE kits. But for thousands of parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), it has become a daily battle for their child’s right to an education. We are seeing a perfect storm of soaring costs, slashed services, and a government that seems to have forgotten that a child can’t learn if they can’t physically get to the classroom.
Let’s be blunt: the system is broken. And if you have a child with SEND approaching their sixteenth birthday, you are about to walk off a cliff edge.
The £145,000 Taxi Ride
First, let’s look at the numbers, because they are staggering. The NAO reports that local authority spending on home-to-school transport has increased by 70% in real terms since 2015, hitting £2.3 billion in 2023-24 . You might think that money is going to a better service. You’d be wrong. The vast majority of that cash is being swallowed by a system in crisis.
The explosion in costs is almost entirely down to transporting children with SEND, where spending has more than doubled (a 106% increase) . Transporting a child with SEND now costs councils a median average of £8,116 per year, compared to just £1,526 for a mainstream child . In one shocking example cited by the NAO, a local authority is forking out £145,000 per year for a single pupil.
Why is it so expensive? It’s not because councils are splashing out on luxury coaches. It’s because years of government underfunding and poor planning mean there aren’t enough local school places. Consequently, children are forced to travel vast distances to the nearest setting that can meet their needs, often requiring specialist vehicles, passenger assistants, and solitary taxis because shared transport isn't viable. The County Councils Network (CCN) warns that if nothing changes, we are looking at a £3.4 billion annual bill by 2030 .
The "Cliff Edge" at 16
So, how are cash-strapped councils responding to these pressures? They are taking an axe to the parts of the service they are not legally forced to provide. And that’s where the government’s shameful "forgetting" comes in.
For children of compulsory school age (5 to 16), the duty to provide transport is clear. But the moment a young person turns 16, that legal duty evaporates. Transport becomes "discretionary" . The government’s own data shows this is creating a crisis. The NAO found that while the number of young people with SEND needing transport is skyrocketing, discretionary post-16 transport is being cut left and right .
Think about the cruelty of that. An Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan—a legally binding document—exists to support a child up to the age of 25. It names a school or college. Yet, the government forgot to ensure transport is guaranteed to get them there. As the charity Natspec points out, "what’s the point of a local authority naming a college if the young person isn’t able to get there?" .
Parents in Leeds, campaigning with the group Save Our School Transport, told the BBC that this "loophole" is "morally wrong" . They are watching their children lose their independence because the council, facing an £800,000 bill, decided to pull the free bus.
The impact is devastating. A Natspec survey found that 65% of specialist colleges had students whose start of term was delayed due to transport issues . One college had 30 students stuck at home. Furthermore, 82% reported learners experiencing severe anxiety due to transport uncertainty . The physical and mental toll on these young people is being treated as an acceptable cost of balancing the books.
"Inappropriate or Even Unsafe"
It’s not just about cuts; it’s about the quality of what’s left. To save money, desperate councils are making ludicrous decisions. The Natspec report highlighted examples of decision-makers with "little understanding of SEND" offering bus passes to children who cannot travel independently, suggesting routes with three changes to vulnerable young people, and asking wheelchair users to use vehicles without proper restraints . This isn't just incompetence; it's a systemic failure that puts our children at risk.
The Government’s "Wait and See" Strategy
So, what is the Department for Education (DfE) doing about this? Shockingly, they admit they are flying blind. The NAO report criticises the DfE for lacking basic data on who uses the transport, how they travel, and why costs are rising . When the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) challenged them, it was clear the government’s main plan is to hope that future SEND reforms—making mainstream schools more inclusive—will eventually mean children don't have to travel so far .
That might sound sensible, but it’s a long-term fantasy ignoring today’s crisis. As the PAC report stated, the DfE appears "unconcerned about the clarity of the offering" for post-16 students. Meanwhile, the DfE’s own permanent secretary, Susan Acland-Hood, argued that imposing a "blanket duty" on councils to provide this transport would be difficult because it might constrain a young person’s choice of education . Tell that to the parent whose child’s "choice" is now no education at all because they can’t get there.
Passing the Buck... and the Bill
Even the financial solutions are a mess. The government recently announced it would write off 90% of the historic SEND overspending by councils, giving them some "breathing space". But crucially, that bailout does not cover home-to-school transport. And the PAC warns that plans for dealing with deficits building up between now and 2028 "remains unclear" .
With the financial noose tightening, councils are now floating ideas that will terrify parents. The County Councils Network has suggested that families should be means-tested for free transport . As Councillor Bill Revans controversially put it, paying for "millionaires" to send their children to school is not a good use of public money. Anna Bird, of the disability charity Contact, hit back with the obvious truth: transport should be based on a child’s needs, not their parents’ income .
A System Failing the Most Vulnerable
What we are seeing is a game of hot potato. The government blames councils for inefficient spending. Councils blame the government for underfunding and a broken SEND system. And caught in the middle are our kids—stuck at home, anxious, missing education, and losing their independence.
The law was meant to ensure transport wasn't a barrier to education. Yet, by failing to secure post-16 transport in SEND reforms and allowing councils to treat it as a discretionary add-on, the government has built that barrier higher than ever. As Catriona Moore noted in a recent analysis, "Getting it right should be non-negotiable" . Right now, it feels like the negotiation has broken down entirely, and our children are the ones paying the price.
For most of us, the school run is a frantic blur of packed lunch and lost PE kits. But for thousands of parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), it has become a daily battle for their child’s right to an education. We are seeing a perfect storm of soaring costs, slashed services, and a government that seems to have forgotten that a child can’t learn if they can’t physically get to the classroom.
Let’s be blunt: the system is broken. And if you have a child with SEND approaching their sixteenth birthday, you are about to walk off a cliff edge.
The £145,000 Taxi Ride
First, let’s look at the numbers, because they are staggering. The NAO reports that local authority spending on home-to-school transport has increased by 70% in real terms since 2015, hitting £2.3 billion in 2023-24 . You might think that money is going to a better service. You’d be wrong. The vast majority of that cash is being swallowed by a system in crisis.
The explosion in costs is almost entirely down to transporting children with SEND, where spending has more than doubled (a 106% increase) . Transporting a child with SEND now costs councils a median average of £8,116 per year, compared to just £1,526 for a mainstream child . In one shocking example cited by the NAO, a local authority is forking out £145,000 per year for a single pupil.
Why is it so expensive? It’s not because councils are splashing out on luxury coaches. It’s because years of government underfunding and poor planning mean there aren’t enough local school places. Consequently, children are forced to travel vast distances to the nearest setting that can meet their needs, often requiring specialist vehicles, passenger assistants, and solitary taxis because shared transport isn't viable. The County Councils Network (CCN) warns that if nothing changes, we are looking at a £3.4 billion annual bill by 2030 .
The "Cliff Edge" at 16
So, how are cash-strapped councils responding to these pressures? They are taking an axe to the parts of the service they are not legally forced to provide. And that’s where the government’s shameful "forgetting" comes in.
For children of compulsory school age (5 to 16), the duty to provide transport is clear. But the moment a young person turns 16, that legal duty evaporates. Transport becomes "discretionary" . The government’s own data shows this is creating a crisis. The NAO found that while the number of young people with SEND needing transport is skyrocketing, discretionary post-16 transport is being cut left and right .
Think about the cruelty of that. An Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan—a legally binding document—exists to support a child up to the age of 25. It names a school or college. Yet, the government forgot to ensure transport is guaranteed to get them there. As the charity Natspec points out, "what’s the point of a local authority naming a college if the young person isn’t able to get there?" .
Parents in Leeds, campaigning with the group Save Our School Transport, told the BBC that this "loophole" is "morally wrong" . They are watching their children lose their independence because the council, facing an £800,000 bill, decided to pull the free bus.
The impact is devastating. A Natspec survey found that 65% of specialist colleges had students whose start of term was delayed due to transport issues . One college had 30 students stuck at home. Furthermore, 82% reported learners experiencing severe anxiety due to transport uncertainty . The physical and mental toll on these young people is being treated as an acceptable cost of balancing the books.
"Inappropriate or Even Unsafe"
It’s not just about cuts; it’s about the quality of what’s left. To save money, desperate councils are making ludicrous decisions. The Natspec report highlighted examples of decision-makers with "little understanding of SEND" offering bus passes to children who cannot travel independently, suggesting routes with three changes to vulnerable young people, and asking wheelchair users to use vehicles without proper restraints . This isn't just incompetence; it's a systemic failure that puts our children at risk.
The Government’s "Wait and See" Strategy
So, what is the Department for Education (DfE) doing about this? Shockingly, they admit they are flying blind. The NAO report criticises the DfE for lacking basic data on who uses the transport, how they travel, and why costs are rising . When the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) challenged them, it was clear the government’s main plan is to hope that future SEND reforms—making mainstream schools more inclusive—will eventually mean children don't have to travel so far .
That might sound sensible, but it’s a long-term fantasy ignoring today’s crisis. As the PAC report stated, the DfE appears "unconcerned about the clarity of the offering" for post-16 students. Meanwhile, the DfE’s own permanent secretary, Susan Acland-Hood, argued that imposing a "blanket duty" on councils to provide this transport would be difficult because it might constrain a young person’s choice of education . Tell that to the parent whose child’s "choice" is now no education at all because they can’t get there.
Passing the Buck... and the Bill
Even the financial solutions are a mess. The government recently announced it would write off 90% of the historic SEND overspending by councils, giving them some "breathing space". But crucially, that bailout does not cover home-to-school transport. And the PAC warns that plans for dealing with deficits building up between now and 2028 "remains unclear" .
With the financial noose tightening, councils are now floating ideas that will terrify parents. The County Councils Network has suggested that families should be means-tested for free transport . As Councillor Bill Revans controversially put it, paying for "millionaires" to send their children to school is not a good use of public money. Anna Bird, of the disability charity Contact, hit back with the obvious truth: transport should be based on a child’s needs, not their parents’ income .
A System Failing the Most Vulnerable
What we are seeing is a game of hot potato. The government blames councils for inefficient spending. Councils blame the government for underfunding and a broken SEND system. And caught in the middle are our kids—stuck at home, anxious, missing education, and losing their independence.
The law was meant to ensure transport wasn't a barrier to education. Yet, by failing to secure post-16 transport in SEND reforms and allowing councils to treat it as a discretionary add-on, the government has built that barrier higher than ever. As Catriona Moore noted in a recent analysis, "Getting it right should be non-negotiable" . Right now, it feels like the negotiation has broken down entirely, and our children are the ones paying the price.
While Labour leaves families in limbo with vague promises and unanswered questions, the Green Party is fighting for a system where no child is left stranded. From championing free bus travel for under-22s to defending the legal rights families rely on, we offer something Labour won't: real hope that your child will actually get to school. For parents trapped in the school run from hell, that isn't just politics. It's everything.
Mark Webster
Disability Officer
The Green Party
Telford and Wrekin
Comments
Post a Comment