Home-to-School Transport Refused

Published on: 29 Apr, 2025
Updated on: 1 May, 2025

Surrey County Council headquarters in Woodhatch, Reigate

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

Two Surrey parents have been refused help to take their daughter to sixth form or college after claims they can afford it, a report says.

A decision published by the Local Government Ombudsman on March 10 read there was “no fault” in Surrey County Council’s decision to deny support to the parents. The local authority simply argued the parents could sort out how their daughter gets to further education themselves.

The parents applied for transport help to get their daughter to sixth form. She has special educational needs and an EHC plan by the council, according to the report. But their request for home-to-school transport, and then appeal, was rejected.

The report said: “Although the Council has not been so blunt, it is clear the Council believes [the parents] have the financial means to make the necessary arrangements for her school transport.”

In the appeal, the parents explained their work does not allow them to take their daughter to sixth form or college themselves. But the report said: “The Council has been careful not to tell [the parents] what arrangements it thinks they should make.”

Unlike children of school age who may have a legal right to transport, the report said, the Council does not have the same duty to make transport arrangements for students, older than 16, in further education.

Surrey County Council writes its own post-16 transport for pupils with special educational needs which it updates every year. The local authority has recently finished its consultation on the same policy and the new 2025/26 statement will be published soon.

Although Ombudsman investigations check if the council makes their decisions properly in line with legislation and guidelines, it does not decide whether the council should provide support to parents for their children to sixth form or college. As the investigation found no wrongdoing in the council’s process, it cannot question or challenge the decision.

See council report here.