- What is Hackney’s SEND transport service?
- Who qualifies for free travel support?
- What travel options does Hackney offer?
- How to apply and which form to use
- Post-16 and adult learners: what’s available?
- Need help getting your child to school or college?
Hackney SEND Transport: School Travel Guide
What Is Hackney’s SEND Transport Service?
Getting a child with special educational needs to school every day is not always straightforward. Hackney Council’s SEND Travel Assistance Service exists to take some of that pressure off families. It provides free, door-to-door transport for eligible children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – from their home or an agreed pick-up point, to their school or college and back again, every day of term.
The service covers children and young people with SEND up to the age of 25 and uses a mix of in-house vehicles and external transport providers to make the daily journey work. For families navigating busy mornings with a child who has complex needs, that kind of consistent, reliable transport really does make a difference.
Who Qualifies for Free Travel Support?
Almost all of Hackney Council’s home-to-school travel support is for children who have a special educational need, disability, or mobility issue that creates a travel problem. Children or young people who are eligible cannot reasonably be expected to walk to school and may find using public transport difficult.
Children do not need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to access travel support, though most will have one. What matters most is whether the child’s SEND or mobility needs make getting to school independently impractical.
The groups who may qualify include:
- Pre-school children — parents may receive travel support to get their child to and from pre-school settings where the child has special educational needs.
- Children aged 5–16 living in Hackney who have a SEND or mobility issue that means they cannot reasonably walk to school.
- Post-16 students — those with an EHCP who attend an approved course of study at a school or college.
- Adult learners starting an approved course of study after their 19th birthday, who must hold an EHCP to qualify.
It is worth noting that fewer than a quarter of all children and young people with EHCPs in Hackney actually use school buses or taxis – so eligibility alone does not guarantee a particular type of transport. Each case is looked at individually.
What Travel Options Does Hackney Offer?
Once eligibility is confirmed, Hackney Council assesses each child or young person’s needs individually and offers one of the following forms of travel support: independent travel training for secondary-age young people where appropriate; a personal travel budget paid to parents; a seat on a school bus serving Hackney’s maintained special schools including Ickburgh, The Garden, and Stormont House; a seat on a private hire minibus or shared taxi to one of nearly 90 other school or college settings; or a solo taxi, but only where that is the only practical solution.
Passenger Assistants are allocated to vehicles depending on the needs of the children or young people travelling.
The SEND Travel Assistance Service also offers a bus hire option for schools and settings for trips to sporting events, museums, or other places of interest, with a fleet of 20 vehicles including 16-seater and 30-seater fully accessible buses.
How to Apply and Which Form to Use
The application process is straightforward once you know which form applies to your child’s situation.
For pupils aged 5–16, there is an online SEND Transport Application Request Form available through Hackney’s Local Offer website. Parents of pre-school children with SEND should also use this form. For young people entering or in post-16 education or training, a separate online form is available for home-to-school travel assistance.
If your child’s circumstances change – for example, if you move house or they change schools – the SEND Travel Assistance Service needs to be informed promptly by email or phone to avoid any disruption to travel arrangements.
To get in touch:
Email transport@hackney.gov.uk
Phone 020 8558 4283
Post-16 and Adult Learners: What’s Available?
Travel support for older students works a bit differently. Hackney’s policy for post-16 students with SEND is to encourage independent travel wherever possible, with support provided through travel training, buddy schemes, and personal travel budget payments that cover the use of public transport.
For students aged 16–18 without an EHCP, bursary funding of up to £1,200 a year is available for young people in defined vulnerable groups, with discretionary bursaries also available through schools and colleges to help with costs including transport.
Students living in Hackney who live 3 miles or more from their school or college and attend a full-time course of 12 hours or more per week may also qualify for travel support through Hackney Education.
For young people with SEND, transport considerations are also factored in during the placement agreement process – particularly for those choosing education settings outside the borough, where the daily journey could affect how successfully a student manages their course.
Need Help Getting Your Child to School or College?
Knowing the support exists is one thing. Actually, navigating applications, forms, and eligibility criteria while managing a child’s needs is another matter entirely.
For more information on Hackney’s SEND transport support, visit the Hackney Local Offer website or contact the SEND Travel Assistance Service directly.
Let Jimac Cars provide safe and reliable transport for families and young people with SEND needs, making every journey easier and stress-free. Whether it’s a consistent school run, a college drop-off, or attending medical appointments alongside education commitments, Jimac Cars is here to support Hackney families every step of the way.
