Access Compass

Access Compass guide

School and post-16 transport in North and West Northamptonshire: who does what

Think about each journey on its own, then check who leads, arranges, pays for, hands over and acts if a journey fails. This guide covers North and West Northamptonshire school transport, post-16 help, short breaks and what to do if there is a safeguarding worry.

Published by Access Compass · How we research and check guides

Who it's for: Parents & carers, Children & young people, Professionals

Source checked automatically Last checked 6 Oct 2026. Review due 5 Nov 2026. Always confirm details with the service before relying on them.

Visual explanations

These diagrams use real text, so the same complete information can be zoomed, selected, read aloud and printed.

Responsibility map · full text built in

Who owns each school-transport journey leg?

Use this before travel starts and whenever an address, placement, timetable or support need changes.

  1. Lead and decide

    • Decision
      Name the decision owner

      Use the written travel decision from the council, the EHC plan, the care plan or the placement agreement. Ask who leads each journey.

    • Check
      Check every leg

      Record outward, return and any school-to-unit, contact, respite or placement transfer separately.

  2. Arrange

    • Support
      Confirm the arranger

      Name the team, provider, school, placement, family or commissioner that books each vehicle and passenger assistant.

    • Check
      Confirm changes

      Record who can change an address, time, escort or vehicle and how much notice they need.

  3. Fund

    • Decision
      Record the funding route

      State whether the education authority, social care, health, placement contract or family funds that specific leg.

    • Check
      Ask who pays

      Do not assume. Ask who pays for each journey and ask for the answer in writing.

  4. Handover and safety

    • Support
      Name both handover adults

      Record the authorised adult at collection and arrival, plus the information needed for a safe journey.

    • Information
      Share only what is needed

      Share relevant, accurate and timely safety information securely and record why it was shared.

  5. If travel fails

    • UrgentDelay, cancellation or no-show
      Routine failure

      Contact the named transport team or provider and the receiving service; use the written contingency plan.

    • EmergencyDanger or missing child
      Immediate danger

      Call 999. Do not leave a child alone or send them to an unconfirmed address or unauthorised adult.

    • UrgentAdult may have harmed a child
      Safeguarding allegation

      Use the organisation's safeguarding route. Where an allegation against a member of staff or volunteer meets the threshold, it is referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

Printable and zoomable: this is structured text, not an image.

Who does what for each journey

Open the journey that matches the child. Check every outward, return and transfer leg before travel starts.

  • Family home to school and back (North Northamptonshire SEN transport) Children with an EHC plan who get North Northamptonshire special educational needs travel assistance.

    Confirm before travel: Read North's code of conduct for pupils with special educational needs (last updated November 2022). It says a responsible adult must meet the child at the set-down point, and that parents and school staff escort the pupil to and from the vehicle.

    1. Outward: family home to school

      Lead now
      The parent or carer applies. North says only its Travel Co-ordination Unit deals with SEND applications.
      Arranges
      North says its Travel Co-ordination Unit is responsible for travel assistance between home and school for children with SEND.
      Funds
      Ask the council to confirm in writing what is paid for and what is not.
      Handover
      The code of conduct says the driver stops at the nearest accessible and safe point to the home or school and stays on or near the vehicle. Parents and school staff escort the pupil to and from the vehicle.
      If it changes or fails
      Tell the SEN transport team at the earliest chance if your child is unwell, has an appointment or will not travel. Cancelling the morning journey also cancels the afternoon one unless you ask otherwise. No route should change unless the SEN Transport Planning Team authorises it. A change of address or school needs a new application.

    2. Return: school to family home

      Lead now
      The parent or carer makes sure a responsible adult is ready to meet the child at the set-down point.
      Arranges
      If you take your child to school but want the transport to bring them home, North says to contact it before mid-day.
      Funds
      Ask the council to confirm in writing what is paid for and what is not.
      Handover
      A responsible adult must meet the child at the set-down point. If school staff are not ready to receive the pupil, the pupil is expected to stay securely on the vehicle.
      If it changes or fails
      If you will be late because of unforeseen circumstances, contact the SEN transport team as soon as possible. If a vehicle cannot run at short notice, the code says the parent or carer must get the child to and from school.
  • Children under compulsory school age Children under compulsory school age.

    Confirm before travel: IPSEA says children under compulsory school age are not automatically entitled to transport to an early years setting or school. West Northamptonshire's free travel page covers ages 4 to 16 and gives a distance rule for a child under 8. Ask the council for your address about your own child.

    1. Outward: home to school

      Lead now
      Ask the council for your address how to apply and who decides.
      Arranges
      Ask the council who arranges each journey.
      Funds
      Ask the council who pays for each journey.
      Handover
      Ask the school and any transport team who hands the child over at each end.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask who to call if a journey is late or does not run. Ask for the answer in writing.

    2. Return: school to home

      Lead now
      Ask the council for your address how to apply and who decides.
      Arranges
      Ask the council who arranges each journey.
      Funds
      Ask the council who pays for each journey.
      Handover
      Ask the school and any transport team who hands the child over at each end.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask who to call if a journey is late or does not run. Ask for the answer in writing.
  • West: foster placement run by an outside agency, home to school A child living in a foster placement managed by an outside agency in West Northamptonshire.

    Confirm before travel: West's EHC travel form says the care provider is normally responsible for all reasonable travel within a 20-mile radius of the placement address. If home to school help is needed, the child's social worker sends a request to the Northamptonshire Children's Trust (NCT) transport hub instead of using the form. Ask the social worker to confirm in writing who arranges and who pays.

    1. Outward: placement to school

      Lead now
      The child's social worker sends the request to the NCT transport hub.
      Arranges
      West's forms say the care provider is normally responsible for arranging all reasonable travel within 20 miles of the placement address.
      Funds
      Ask the social worker or the NCT transport hub who pays. Ask for the answer in writing.
      Handover
      Ask the social worker who hands the child over at each end and write it down.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask the social worker who to call if travel fails.

    2. Return: school to placement

      Lead now
      The child's social worker sends the request to the NCT transport hub.
      Arranges
      West's forms say the care provider is normally responsible for arranging all reasonable travel within 20 miles of the placement address.
      Funds
      Ask the social worker or the NCT transport hub who pays. Ask for the answer in writing.
      Handover
      Ask the social worker who hands the child over at each end and write it down.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask the social worker who to call if travel fails.
  • Short-break homes (Squirrels and JGS) and the child's home Children and young people with additional needs whose families have been assessed by a social worker as needing an overnight break at Squirrels or JGS.

    Confirm before travel: The pages we checked do not say who arranges or pays for travel to and from Squirrels or JGS. Before the first stay, ask the child's social worker who arranges and pays for each journey, and ask for the answer in writing.

    1. Outward: to the short-break home

      Lead now
      Ask the child's social worker who is leading the plan for travel.
      Arranges
      Ask who books and arranges each journey, including any journey from school.
      Funds
      Ask who pays for each journey.
      Handover
      Ask who hands the child over at each end, and what the short-break home needs to know.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask who to call if a journey is late or does not run, and what the back-up plan is.

    2. Return: from the short-break home

      Lead now
      Ask the child's social worker who is leading the plan for travel.
      Arranges
      Ask who books and arranges each journey, including any journey from school.
      Funds
      Ask who pays for each journey.
      Handover
      Ask who hands the child over at each end, and what the short-break home needs to know.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask who to call if a journey is late or does not run, and what the back-up plan is.
  • West: alternative provision, part-time timetables and transition days Children in West Northamptonshire who go to alternative provision or a pupil referral unit, have a part-time timetable, or have transition or induction days.

    Confirm before travel: West's form says it can only arrange transport for the beginning and end of the core school day. For a part-time timetable, talk to the child's EHC Officer about travel. West says it cannot arrange ad-hoc transport for transition and induction days: that is a direct arrangement between the schools and the parent or carer. For North, ask the Travel Co-ordination Unit.

    1. Home to alternative provision at a different provider while on roll at a school

      Lead now
      Talk to the child's EHC Officer or the school about travel.
      Arranges
      West's internal form for officers says it expects the school where the child is on roll to be responsible for arranging travel.
      Funds
      The same form says it expects the school where the child is on roll to be responsible for funding any travel needed.
      Handover
      Ask who hands the child over at each end and write it down.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask the school who to call if travel fails.

    2. Transition and induction days

      Lead now
      The schools and the parent or carer agree this directly.
      Arranges
      West says it cannot arrange ad-hoc transport for these days. It is a direct arrangement between the schools and the parent or carer.
      Funds
      Ask the school who pays for travel on these days.
      Handover
      Ask the schools who hands the child over at each end.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask the school who to call if travel fails.
  • Post-16: home to school or college, and between sites Learners aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, and young adults aged 19 to 25 with an EHC plan.

    Confirm before travel: North says help for children with an EHC plan ends after age 16 or Year 11 (whichever is later), and you then apply for post-16 help. North students who get post-16 help pay an annual contribution or fare, and North publishes fares each April. Check the council's post-16 page for your area.

    1. Home to school or college and back

      Lead now
      Apply on the council's post-16 form for a student with an EHC plan.
      Arranges
      North and West both say they only provide transport to education settings at the start and end of a typical school day.
      Funds
      North students who get help pay an annual contribution or fare. West says young people over compulsory school age are expected to pay their own travel costs unless they meet the council's criteria, and college bursary funding may be available on a low income.
      Handover
      North's policy says independent travel will be promoted for all students, including students with learning difficulties and disabilities, and support is considered case by case.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask the council and the college who to call if travel changes or fails.

    2. Between college sites, or to work experience (North)

      Lead now
      Ask the college how travel between its sites and to work experience is arranged.
      Arranges
      North's post-16 policy says transport will not be provided between campuses or sites during the day. For work experience, it expects the young person to make their own way or the college placing them to arrange travel.
      Funds
      North's policy says the cost of travel between sites falls to the school or college or the student's family.
      Handover
      Ask the college who the responsible adult is at each end.
      If it changes or fails
      Ask the college who to call if travel fails.

How to decide and record responsibility

  1. Start with the exact journey, not a service name

    Think about each journey on its own: the way there, the way back, and any other trip such as to a short break. Council school travel help covers home to school. North Northamptonshire says there is no automatic entitlement to travel help between home and school. West Northamptonshire says it can only arrange transport for the start and end of the core school day and cannot arrange ad-hoc transport for transition and induction days. If a child goes to school part-time, talk to the EHC Officer about travel. Overnight breaks are arranged with the social worker, so ask them who arranges and pays for travel to and from a break.

  2. Write down five owners for every leg

    Record who leads now, who books or arranges, who funds, who hands the child over at both ends and who acts if travel changes or fails. Include names, contact details, times and a review date. 'School', 'social care' or 'transport' is not precise enough without a named team or person.

  3. Choose the correct age route

    Different rules apply at different ages. IPSEA says children under compulsory school age are not automatically entitled to transport. Councils must arrange free, suitable transport for eligible children of compulsory school age. For young people of sixth form age, councils must have a transport policy statement. Young adults aged 19 to 25 with an EHC plan have their own rules. In North Northamptonshire, help for children with an EHC plan ends after age 16 or Year 11 (whichever is later), and you then apply for post-16 help. North Northamptonshire students entitled to post-16 help pay a contribution: £965 for the academic year starting September 2026. Check the council's post-16 page for the form and any contribution for your area.

  4. Record the child's care status

    Tell the council and the social worker if a child is looked after, has a social worker, or lives in foster care. In West Northamptonshire, if a child lives in a foster placement run by an outside agency, the care provider is normally responsible for all reasonable travel within a 20-mile radius of the placement address. If home to school travel help is needed in that case, the social worker sends a request to the Northamptonshire Children's Trust transport hub. Do not use the usual form. Ask the social worker who is responsible for travel to a short break.

  5. Start with the council for the address where the child lives

    North and West Northamptonshire have separate application forms and teams. Use the pages for the council area where the child lives. If another council placed the child or looks after the child, ask the social worker which council and team is responsible, and ask them to confirm in writing. You should not have to pass messages between organisations.

  6. Check eligibility; do not treat an EHC plan as automatic

    Rules differ by council. West Northamptonshire (2026/27 policy page) gives free travel help for ages 4 to 16 if the child lives more than 2 miles away (under 8) or more than 3 miles away (8 to 16) from their nearest suitable school, if the walking route is assessed as unacceptable, if the family is on a low income (the page says household income of £16,190 or below, and it still mentions Working Tax Credit, so check the current rules), or if the child has an EHC plan and is 16 or under. West's EHC form says that if the distance is over the statutory walking distance, the child is eligible and special needs do not have to be taken into account. North Northamptonshire says a child with an EHC plan may be eligible if the school named in Part I is the nearest suitable school as decided by the council, it is beyond the walking distance, and either the child has a condition meaning they cannot reasonably be expected to walk (with medical or specialist advice) or a parent is disabled and cannot go with them. North also says free transport can only go to the nearest suitable school that has places. Ask which school the council counts as nearest suitable, whether a place was available, and how walking with an adult was assessed.

  7. North: use the team matching the task

    Applications. Mainstream planning. SEND journey planning and cancellations. For safeguarding matters or driver and passenger assistant conduct, use the Compliance Team. For late arrivals, no-shows and other problems with how the transport runs, use the Contract Team (find its address on the council's contact page). Only the SEN Transport Planning Team should authorise route changes. North Northamptonshire has introduced extra training for drivers and passenger assistants. Staff were expected to finish it before the new school year in September 2026. You can ask the operator for a driver's or passenger assistant's certificate number and check it on the Spectrum Courses website. The addresses and phone numbers for each team are on the council's 'Which team to contact' page.

  8. West: choose the ordinary, EHC, exceptional or NCT route

    Use the mainstream route if the child does not have a final EHC plan. Use the EHC form if they do. Discuss reduced timetables with the EHC Officer. Requests that fall outside the policy are made by the council's EHC or EIP officers, not by families. If a child is in an externally managed foster placement, the social worker sends the request to the NCT transport hub.

  9. Evidence the real journey and handovers

    Describe mobility, communication, sensory or behavioural risk, who goes with the child, seating, wheelchair or equipment, medication or emergency instructions, pickup points and the adult responsible at each end. A diagnosis alone may not show why an arrangement is safe or unsafe. West Northamptonshire asks for recent evidence, dated within the last 12 months, such as written advice from a medical professional. Drivers and passenger assistants are not medically trained. In a medical emergency they call an ambulance. North Northamptonshire says you must tell them about any significant medical condition, such as seizures or serious allergies, that might need medical help on transport.

  10. Share the safety information needed for the handover

    Make sure the driver or passenger assistant and the adults sending and receiving the child have the safety information they need. Share only what is necessary, proportionate, relevant, accurate, timely and secure. Record what was shared, with whom and why. Safeguarding information can be shared without consent where it is lawful and necessary, for example if asking for consent would put a child at risk. Do not tell a parent or carer first if that would increase the risk of harm to the child.

  11. Plan changes, no-shows and emergencies before day one

    Agree who calls whom for absence, late or missing transport, refusal, bad weather, a timetable change, or no adult at handover. North Northamptonshire's code of conduct says to tell the SEN transport team about absences as early as possible, that transport waits at most 3 minutes after the agreed time, that a responsible adult must meet your child at the drop-off point, and that if the vehicle cannot run at short notice it is the parent or carer's job to get the child to and from school (code last updated November 2022). A change of address or school needs a new application in both North and West. Do not rely on an informal agreement with a driver: North says no route should be changed unless the SEN Transport Planning Team authorises it.

  12. Act on a safeguarding concern; do not pass it around

    If you are worried about a child, follow your organisation's child protection policy. School staff talk to the designated safeguarding lead. In North Northamptonshire, safeguarding matters about school transport go to the Compliance Team. For a child with an open social care case, contact the allocated social worker, or their manager or the duty social worker. For a new referral or a closed case, contact children's social care through the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). A Family Help Assessment is not required for a referral. Do not delay a referral to collect more information if the child could be at risk of significant harm.

  13. Use the correct challenge route

    Use the Contract Team (North) or the council's transport team for delivery problems such as repeated lateness or a missed collection. Use an appeal for decisions about eligibility, distance measurement, safety of the route or the transport arrangements offered. In both North and West Northamptonshire, you have 20 working days from receiving the decision to ask for a review (stage 1). The council aims to reply within 20 working days. You then have 20 working days from that reply to ask for an appeal, and the panel is to meet within 40 working days. North says removal of transport because of a child's behaviour is handled separately by its compliance team, not the appeal process. After the appeal you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman if the rules were not followed. IPSEA says the SEND Tribunal cannot make orders about transport eligibility or suitability. If an adult working with children may have harmed a child, the employer must tell the Designated Officer within 1 working day, as well as following their own safeguarding route. If professionals cannot agree on a safeguarding concern, they should use the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership case and conflict resolution route.

  14. Escalate safely

    If a child is in immediate danger, left alone or missing, call 999. Do not send or leave a child at an address you have not confirmed, or with an adult who is not authorised. Use the MASH or the allocated social worker as well as the transport team when you need to. If missing travel puts education, a placement or a short break at risk, ask the responsible manager for a written plan to keep the child safe while the problem or appeal is sorted out.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel

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