Our Legal Rights Service was recently able to help a family to access school transport for their daughter.
Mum D explains the problem: “Our eight year old daughter was diagnosed with ASD when she was 3 years old. She’s a very happy little girl, full of energy who enjoys the outdoors, swimming and pizza! We got in touch with Cerebra for some help in accessing school travel assistance. She was being asked to walk over 2 miles to school, which for her, is impossible. The roads are dangerous, and she wouldn’t be able to make it without increasing her risk of an accident. Our initial application for Travel Assistance was rejected, despite support from our GP, nurse and therapists”.
John Furlong from our Legal Rights Service explains how we helped:
“D contacted us after she had made an application for home to school transport for her daughter the previous year which had been turned down. She appealed that decision in June 2022 but that was also rejected.
We provided D with some support and she made another application for transport which was again refused. Her application contained relevant information about her daughter’s SEN, but the LA had refused her application without considering SEN, only looking at home to school distance. This was not the correct way for the LA to assess the application as SEN is one of the eligible categories that must be considered.
Following more support from Cerebra, D appealed the decision. The appeal letter said, among other things, that the LA had to look at SEN as an eligible category. This time the LA did look at her daughter’s SEN and awarded free home to school transport. The LA said the transport would be in place until July 2026”.
D told us: “With Cerebra’s support, we were able to be more organised and thorough with our application. The Legal Advice Team really fought for us, which resulted in a positive outcome after the first appeal was processed. We really struggled without Cerebra’s help but your advice and expertise really made the difference. Your support means the world to us as parents, thank you!
Download our School Transport Guide England
Download our School Transport Guide Wales
