The National Audit Office (NAO) warns that home to school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities has become one of the fastest-growing cost pressures for councils in England
The NAO has revealed that home to school transport for children with SEND is facing mounting pressure, with spending rising significantly amid driver shortages, longer journeys, and growing numbers of pupils with EHCPs. The watchdog warns that the planned national SEND reforms must pay close attention to this area or risk undermining efforts to shift education access closer to home.
Rising demand and costs put pressure on home to school transport for children with SEND
Home to school transport is a crucial service for children and young people, ensuring no barriers to accessing quality education. Approximately 520,000 children in England utilise this service, which costs local authorities £2.3 billion in 2023-24.
An increase in children and young people requiring home to school transport is leading local authorities to struggle to balance their legal duty to provide transport for eligible pupils and the duty to balance their budget.
Local authorities are required to provide free transportation for school-age children who cannot walk to their nearest suitable school due to distance, special educational needs, disabilities, or safety concerns, with additional support for low-income families.
Between 2015-16 and 2023/24, home to school transport costs increased by 70%, leading councils to spend £415m more than they budgeted in 2023/24.
Challenges for councils in providing sustainable home to school transport for children with SEND
Councils are facing a range of pressures, which have implications for demand and costs of home to school transport, including:
- More children are travelling longer distances to attend schools that can meet their medical, behavioural, or safeguarding needs, as the number of Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) has risen by 166% between January 2015 and January 2025, from 240,000 to 639,000.
- As pupils travel further, the total number of journeys increases, along with a greater reliance on smaller and single-occupancy vehicles.
- Councils spend roughly five times more per child with SEND on transport than for other children. In 2023‑24, the average cost was £8,116 per SEND child compared with £1,526 for mainstream transport.
- Transport providers have yet to fully recover from the Covid‑19 pandemic, with driver recruitment still impacted by competition from other sectors.
- Operators are facing higher running costs, including fuel and wages.
- Reductions in public transport services, particularly in rural areas, have increased dependency on local authority-provided transport.
These pressures have led many councils to reduce the provision of discretionary transport, such as withdrawing or restricting free or subsidised transport for young people in sixth form, children below compulsory school age, or those not attending their nearest suitable school.
“For the children and young people who rely on local authority-provided transport to get them to school and college each day, it is an invaluable service. Without it, many may struggle to continue with their education.
“Local authorities are making savings to meet their statutory duties, but they are looking to DfE’s upcoming SEND reforms to ensure the long-term sustainability of home to school transport,” commented Gareth Davies, head of the NAO.
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the National Audit Office report, which says SEND reforms need to address home-to-school transport pressures.
“We are concerned that the national conversation about children with special educational needs and disabilities has increasingly become focused on cost.
“Let’s be clear that these youngsters often require special school provision, and home-to-school transport is vital in ensuring they can access that support.
“We expect the government’s forthcoming reforms to focus on supporting more children with SEND in mainstream schools.
“This may have the knock-on effect of reducing home-to-school transport costs.
“However, these reforms will be a huge undertaking which will require investment, training and resources, and will take time to implement.
“Even then, many children will continue to need the support of special schools.
“We have to put the needs of these youngsters first and ensure that the SEND system and associated costs are sufficiently funded both now and in the future.”
