We know that school travel arrangements play an important part of daily life for parents, carers and young people, and that the changes introduced to our Home to School Travel Policy in 2024 have affected some families more than others.
As part of those changes, we committed to review how the policy was working in practice through a post implementation review.
The post implementation review has now been completed. It considered:
- feedback from families, schools and stakeholders
- transport eligibility data
- appeals and complaints
- ombudsman findings
- operational experience of delivering the service
The review found that the policy is operating broadly as intended and remains on track to achieve its objectives but it also identified areas where changes could improve how the policy works in practice.
Some recommendations would change the policy itself and need approval from full council. This consultation asks for views on the proposed policy changes, and feedback will be considered by councillors in November before any decisions are made.
You can read more about how the policy changed in 2024, why it was reviewed and the post implementation review recommendations on our website.
The review does not recommend a return to catchment-based transport eligibility. Eligibility will continue to be based on a child's nearest suitable school with available places.
Until any decisions are made the current policy remains in place and families should continue to make school preference decisions based on the existing arrangements while this process is completed. If any recommendations are approved, they would not take effect before September 2027 and will apply to children starting in Reception and Year 7 in September 2028.