Westminster Hall debate on home-to-school transport

What school transport must be provided?

The Education Act 1996, related Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance, and case law, require local authorities in England to provide free home-to-school transport for some children and young people of compulsory school age.

The gov.uk free school transport website summarises the duties:

Children of compulsory school age qualify for free school transport if they go to their nearest suitable school and any of the following apply:

• the school is more than 2 miles away and the child is under 8
• the school is more than 3 miles away and the child is 8 or over
• there’s no safe walking route between their home and school
• they cannot walk there because of their special educational needs or disabilities or a mobility problem

If your child is 16 or over and still in education, ask your local council if they offer any help with transport.

If your child is eligible for free school meals

Your child may also qualify for free school transport if they’re eligible for free school meals. They may be eligible for free school meals if you get certain benefits, for example Income Support.

Check if your child is eligible for free school meals.

Your child must also be:

• aged 8 to 11, go to their nearest school and it’s at least 2 miles away
• aged 11 to 16 and go to a school 2 to 6 miles away - if it’s one of their 3 nearest suitable schools
• aged 11 to 16 and go to a school 2 to 15 miles away - if it’s one you chose because of your religion or belief

Local authorities may also provide some transport to those who would not otherwise qualify on a discretionary or paid-for basis.

How is home-to-school transport funded?

Most funding for school-level education is routed through the recurrent Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). However, local authorities’ funding for home-to-school transport is not included in the DSG. Instead, it comes through their recurrent general funding allocations (local government settlements).

2026 reforms – a new school transport funding formula

In June 2025, the government announced that it would “introduce a bespoke formula to recognise home to school transport costs.”

In February 2026, alongside the local government finance settlement, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published information on the formula. To summarise its key features:

• The formula estimates need using pupil data. It looks at which pupils are likely to qualify for free home-to-school transport, the distances those pupils travel to school, and differences between mainstream and SEND transport needs.
• Funding is influenced by journey distance rather than broad population measures.
• SEND transport is treated as substantially more expensive than mainstream transport.
• The formula covers pre-16 home-to-school transport. It does not cover post-16 SEND transport.

A Public Accounts Committee report of 6 March 2026 notes:

• The new formula does not address post-16 SEND-related transport spending
• MHCLG should set out in more detail how it will determine whether the new formula better matches local needs.

The Committee also requested more clarity on how broader reforms to SEND provision were likely to impact on transport spending.

Pressure on local authority finances

The National Audit Office report on Support for children and young people with special educational needs, published in October 2024, highlighted transport as an important example of other local authority funding being used to support those with SEND.

A further NAO report, published in October 2025, on Home to School Transport, found that spending was continuing to rise. The report also noted that local authorities consistently spend more on home to school transport than they have budgeted.

In July 2025, the Local Government Association published research which found that spending by councils on home to school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities was predicted to reach nearly £2 billion in 2025/26. The report said:

Key factors behind the increased cost of SEND transport include a rise in children with Education, Health and Care Plans (which set out the support a child will receive), more children having to be placed further from home and outside their local area, and changes in complexity of need, which for example might require individualised transport arrangements.

Trends in home-to-school transport spending over time

The chart below shows home-to-school transport expenditure by local authorities in England. The increase has largely been driven by spending on home-to-school transport for learners with SEND, although spend on mainstream school pupils has also risen. Another part of the explanation is rising pupil numbers overall, but spending has outpaced population growth.

Source: Department for Education, Financial year 2024-25, LA and school expenditure, published December 2025

Finding local data on home-to-school transport spending

The DfE's annual statistical publication, Local authority and school expenditure, provides further information on how much each local authority in England spent on a range of education services.

This custom table shows how much each council spent in the 2024-25 financial year on home-to-school transport for different age groups.

Press articles

The Northern Echo, Parliamentary debate over North Yorkshire school transport, 26 May 2026

Public Accounts Committee, SEND reforms left unanswered questions on home-to-school transport and council deficits, 6 March 2026

County Councils Network, Public Accounts Committee report on home to school transport: CCN responds, 6 March 2026

County Councils Network, Schools White Paper cannot ignore looming £3.4bn SEND transport bill, councils warn, 19 February 2026

BBC News, Rural Yorkshire Dales community 'terrified' over school transport, 21 January 2026

National Audit Office, Home to school transport, 31 October 2025

Parliamentary material

Home-to-School Transport: Children with SEND
3 December 2024 | Westminster Hall | 758 cc78-98WH

Special Educational Needs: Transport
22 Apr 2026 | UIN 127359

Asks: Considering cost of transporting rural SEND students in funding allocations.

Answer: Local government funding uses relative needs formulae to calculate funding for specific services. From 2026/27, there is a specific relative needs formula for home to school travel.

Schools: Transport
21 Apr 2026 | UIN 127951

Ask: Plans to review school transport policy to address regional disparities.

Answer: Sets out free travel criteria, and states that there are no plans to change the existing statutory framework. Stresses new relative needs formula, which ensures funding reflects real journeys.

Schools: Transport
8 Apr 2026 | UIN 123555

Ask: Guidance and support for sufficient school transport capacity in rural areas when there is high demand.

Answer: Local authorities must ensure provided transport is suitable for the needs of those travelling, and the government is committed to improving bus services.

Schools: Transport
2 March 2026 | UIN 113009

Ask: Plans to review the statutory distances for free home-to-school transport.

Answer: No plans to change the existing statutory framework.

Schools: Transport
4 February 2026 | UIN 109000

Ask: What guidance there is on safeguarding children on school transport

Answer: Local authorities should ensure staff have undergone the appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and received safeguarding training. Health and safety law is also relevant.