EHCP and Home to School Transport in the UK

Getting the right Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is one battle. Getting your child safely to the school named in it can be another. Home to school transport is one of the most common sources of confusion and dispute for SEND families, partly because people assume a plan automatically includes free transport. It does not. Transport eligibility is assessed under its own rules, although many children with an EHCP do qualify. Last updated June 2026.

This guide explains how home to school transport works for children with SEND, when the local authority must provide it, how it connects to the school named in Section I of the plan, what counts as suitable transport, and how to challenge a refusal.

The Basic Duty

Local authorities have a duty to provide free home to school transport for eligible children of compulsory school age. The core eligibility tests include whether the child lives beyond the statutory walking distance from school and whether they could reasonably be expected to walk, with a parent if necessary, taking full account of any special educational needs, disability or mobility problems. A child who cannot safely make the journey because of their needs may be eligible even within the usual distance.

The key point is that having an EHCP and qualifying for transport are two separate questions, decided under different rules. The plan establishes the child's special educational needs and the school they should attend. Transport eligibility is then assessed against the transport criteria, which is why a clear, well-evidenced plan helps but does not automatically settle the transport question.

How Transport Connects to the Named School

The school or other setting your child should attend is named in Section I of the EHCP. Once a school is named there, the local authority has a duty to ensure the child can attend, and for an eligible child that includes arranging suitable travel. This is why the choice of school and how it is named in the plan matters so much for transport. To understand how placement is decided and how to argue for the school you want, read our guides on the SEND Tribunal appeal process and how to get an EHCP.

Disputes often arise where a parent prefers a school further away than the nearest suitable one. If the authority names the preferred school in the plan, transport responsibility usually follows, but authorities sometimes name a school partly to limit transport costs. Each authority publishes its own home to school transport policy, and you should read it alongside any decision about your child.

What Counts as Suitable Transport

Transport for a child with SEND must be suitable for that child, not merely available. Suitability takes account of age, needs and disability. For some children a seat on a shared minibus or taxi with a trained passenger assistant works well. For others, the journey itself is part of the difficulty: a child with severe anxiety, sensory needs or a medical condition may need a consistent driver, a calm and predictable routine, individual transport, or specific arrangements to keep them safe. The test is whether the arrangement genuinely enables the child to attend and to arrive ready to learn.

If transport is offered but is not suitable, for example a long, chaotic shared route that leaves an anxious child distressed before the school day begins, you can challenge it on suitability grounds, not just eligibility.

Personal Transport Budgets

Some families prefer to arrange transport themselves, for example driving the child or using a familiar carer, and many authorities offer a personal transport budget or mileage payment as an alternative to council-arranged transport. This can give a child more consistency and less stress. Ask your authority whether a personal transport budget is available. This is separate from the personal budget that can sit within the plan itself, which we explain in our guide on EHCP personal budgets.

How to Challenge a Transport Refusal

Every local authority must have an appeals process for home to school transport decisions, normally a two-stage review ending with a senior panel. Request the transport policy and the appeal route in writing, then set out clearly why your child meets the eligibility or suitability criteria, with evidence of their needs, the nature of the journey, and any professional input. Reference the school named in Section I of the plan.

If the authority does not follow its own process fairly, or the decision is plainly unreasonable, you can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Note that a transport appeal is separate from a SEND Tribunal appeal: the Tribunal deals with the content of the plan and the school named in it, while transport is handled through the authority's transport appeal process.

How EHCP Expert Helps

EHCP Expert helps you get the school named correctly in Section I, which is the foundation of any transport entitlement, and helps you frame the impact of your child's needs clearly, which supports both the plan and a transport case. The letters it produces cite the relevant legislation and your authority's duties, and the chatbot can talk you through how transport eligibility interacts with your child's plan.