School transport
Parents and carers are legally responsible for ensuring that their child/children attends school. However, in some cases the local authority has a duty to support parents and carers with transport to and from school or their current educational setting.
We hope that the information below is helpful, but if you need further support you can view the related documents below.
Secondary-age school children from low-income families
If any of the points below apply then your child/children are entitled to a Stagecoach bus pass which will allow them to travel to and from school, free of charge, on Stagecoach service bus routes subject to Stagecoach conditions of carriage, (details available on Stagecoach website below).
A paper application is available in exceptional circumstances, however please be aware this will significantly delay the application.
Primary and secondary-aged children attending their catchment school
This normally applies to rural areas. If any of the points below apply then your child/children may be entitled to a Statutory travel pass, which allows them to travel to and from their catchment school, free of charge, on contracted bus routes.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
Children and young people who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), who are unable to walk to school, being accompanied by a responsible adult or not, may be entitled to free school transport.
They may qualify for support to a school other than the catchment school, for example to a specialist school and/or where the distance is less than the normal qualifying distance. Each case will be considered on the grounds of the individual child’s or young person’s needs and abilities.
An indication regarding the individual’s entitlement to transport support will be made during the EHCP process.
Young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in post-16 settings
Young people in North East Lincolnshire who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or a medical/physical disability and are unable to travel independently may be considered for transport support up to the age of 25 years or until they have achieved their educational goals as identified in the EHCP, where appropriate.
To be considered for support the young person must be attending a full-time course of education. Further information is available in the Post-16 Education Transport Policy Statement 2025 – 2026 (PDF, 366KB) .
Independent travel training (ITT)
To support preparation for adulthood, independent travel trainers support and train young people to travel independently to and from their place of education. The training is primarily intended for young people currently in post-16 education, or in the final two years of their statutory school education (years 10 and 11) who are in receipt of local authority transport support to their school or college.
Referrals may be completed and submitted by any party involved with the young person, such as parent or carer, the school or college attended, transition workers and/or a careers adviser with the Young Peoples Support Services (YPSS).
Please do take a look at the Independent Travel Booklet (PDF, 8MB) to explore other ways and support to travel independently.