Reforms to SEND system should consider implications for home to school transport: National Audit Office

The report, published today (31 October) calls on the Government’s upcoming reforms to the SEND system to “consider implications for transport”, so the system can work better for children and families.

The Government recently confirmed a delay in publication of its white paper on reforms to SEND until early 2026.

The Education Act 1996 aims to ensure that all children of compulsory school age in England have access to an education.

To ensure that transport is not a barrier, the Act puts a duty on local authorities to provide free-of-charge home to school transport for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest suitable school and cannot reasonably be expected to walk because of the distance; a special educational need, a disability or mobility problem; or because the route is unsafe.

The NAO noted that spending on home to school transport has increased “significantly” over the past decade, and a large and growing proportion of expenditure now goes on transporting children and young people with SEND to school. 

The report warns: “Local authorities are struggling to balance their statutory duties to provide transport for eligible pupils with their duty to balance their budget. Efforts to address escalating costs are delivering savings and can help to increase independence for some young people.

“However, where discretionary services have been cut, some pupils may miss out or parents may have to adjust working patterns or give up work altogether to take their children to school.”

The report observed the following pressures on local authorities which have implications for demand and costs of home to school transport:

• More children travelling further to schools that can meet their medical, behavioural or safeguarding needs, as the number of education, health and care plans increased by 166% between January 2015 and January 2025, from 240,000 to 639,000.
• As children and young people travel further, the number of unique journeys and the use of smaller and single occupancy vehicles is increasing.
• Councils spend around five times more on transport per child with SEND than on other children. In 2023-24, on average, transport for a child with SEND cost £8,116 compared with £1,526 for ‘mainstream transport’.
• Provider markets have not yet recovered following the Covid-19 pandemic as driver recruitment was affected by competition from other sectors.
• Transport operators facing higher costs, from fuel and wages.
• A reduction in public transport services, particularly in rural areas, increasing reliance on local authority transport.

The report found that in responding to the above pressures, many councils are reducing the provision of discretionary transport.

For instance, the NAO spoke to ten local authorities who had all withdrawn or restricted free or subsidised transport for young people of sixth form age, children below compulsory school age, or those not attending their nearest suitable school.

The report said: “In some cases, losing this transport can impact on pupils who may miss out on school, or their parents may have to adjust working patterns or give up work altogether to take their children to school.”

As the Department for Education (DfE) seeks to improve its data on home to school transport, the NAO also recommended that they:

• Work with councils to understand the overall effectiveness of its home to school transport policy and the impact of changes in policy or discretionary transport, e.g. on attendance.
• Track how changes to the funding formula affect different types of local authorities, and ensure funding aligns more closely with actual local needs.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “For the children and young people that rely on local authority-provided transport to get them to school and college each day, it is an invaluable service. Without it, many may struggle to continue with their education.

“Local authorities are making savings to meet their statutory duties, but they are looking to DfE’s upcoming SEND reforms to ensure the long-term sustainability of home to school transport.”

Responding to the report, Cllr Bill Revans, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said: “The current SEND system is broken, and does not work for young people, families and councils alike, with some children travelling dozens of miles each day and costs are spiralling for councils in county areas. Those councils in county areas are now spending more on school transport than they are on Sure Start centres, youth services, and family services combined. This is unsustainable.

“Last week’s delay to the long-awaited schools white paper was massively disappointing but it is vital the government now uses this period to set out genuine root and branch reform to the system. A key element of this should be enabling greater inclusion in mainstream schools so they can better cater for more SEND pupils’ needs, allowing them to be taught locally and reducing the reliance on specialist placements whilst cutting transport costs for local authorities.”

Also responding to the report, Heather Sandy, Chair of the ADCS Inclusive Education Network said: “ADCS welcomes the new NAO’s analysis, which shines a much-needed light on the growing pressures surrounding home-to-school transport, particularly for children with special educational needs and disabilities. However, it is disappointing that the report stops short of recommending legislative reform, something our members are clear is both necessary and long overdue.”

She continued: “The current framework is outdated and no longer reflects modern realities. The report’s findings are stark: costs are rising at an unsustainable rate, with local authorities spending £2.3 billion in 2023–24, £1.5 billion of which was for SEND transport. ADCS members feel that, in a system already under significant financial pressure, these substantial sums of money could be used more effectively to improve outcomes for vulnerable children across the system.

“The system now requires a fundamental reset, legislation that is realistic, deliverable and fully funded, underpinned by robust analysis of the true cost drivers. Without comprehensive reform, home-to-school transport will remain financially unsustainable, and families will continue to face uncertainty and inconsistency.”

Lottie Winson