Travel assistance for children aged 5 to 16

Eligibility criteria for mainstream schools

Your child must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for travel assistance:

1. Be of compulsory school age (the term following your child's fifth birthday until the end of the school year in which they turn 16 years of age.)

2. Attend the nearest available and suitable school (where parents name their nearest suitable school as one of their 4 preferences and a place is not available, assistance may be offered to the next closest school, where the other qualifying eligibility criteria are met.)

3. Live the appropriate distance from home to school:

• More than 2 miles (if the child is below the age of 8) 
• More than 3 miles (if the child or young person is aged 8 to 16) 

The walking distance will be measured from where the home meets the public street, for example from the front gate to the nearest gate or point of access to the school premises, and by the shortest route along which a child, accompanied as necessary, may walk safely. As such, the route measured may include footpaths, bridleways, and other pathways, as well as recognised roads.

Assessments for home to school transport

Assessments for home to school transport will only be processed following receipt of a completed application form. Home to school transport eligibility and assessments will not be provided over the phone.

How to apply

If your child meets the eligibility criteria, above, complete the following form to apply for travel assistance:

Travel Assistance form for 5 to 16 year olds (PDF document)

Types of travel assistance that may be offered

Wokingham Borough Council is an enabling council. We prioritise empowering parents and families to find their own solutions, helping people to be independent and to access support when they really need it.

The type of travel assistance offered will be for the council to decide, taking into account the needs of the young person and the nature of the journey to be undertaken. The assistance offered might include:

• A Personal Travel Budget to enable you to make your own arrangements independently (offered automatically if this is the most cost-effective travel assistance option)
• Free passes for children on public transport;
• Provision of a seat on a dedicated school bus or minibus
• A seat in a taxi, usually shared with one or more other pupils, where a pupil’s needs require more personalised arrangements. This will be in exceptional circumstances only.

Note: Personal Budgets 

A personal budget is a sum of money given to parents or carers to enable them to arrange their child’s travel in a way that suits their circumstances best. The budget allows families complete freedom to choose the best possible travel option for their child, with flexibility to change over time. Please read our guide to Personal Travel Budgets for more information.

Travel assistance we do not provide

We only provide travel assistance for a child's journey between their home address and school.

If the child’s parents live at separate addresses, travel assistance will normally be provided to where the child normally lives.

We do not provide travel assistance for:

• Travel to an alternative provision arranged by the school, this could be because of a fixed period exclusion or other reasons
• Attending work experience placements or interviews
• Visits to clinics, GP surgeries, hospital appointments during the school day
• After school clubs
• Travel to a parent or carer's preferred school that is not the nearest suitable school
• Travel to and from home outside of normal school finishing hours.

Reviewing travel assistance

We review travel assistance regularly to make sure we are meeting the needs of the children travelling as much as possible.

We may decide that an alternative option could be more suitable for your child or young person. When this happens, we will check with you and the school before making any changes to travel arrangements.

Changes to circumstances

You are responsible for letting us know if there are any changes to your child's circumstances that may affect their travel assistance support.

You can email community transport if there are any changes at: CTU.group@wokingham.gov.uk

School travel appeals 

If you’re not happy with your school/college travel support, or your application has been refused, you have a right to appeal.

How to appeal

You can submit an appeal by completing our School Transport appeal form (PDF document).

Make sure that you provide any necessary evidence to support your case.