Who qualifies for free school transport?
September 2023 free school transport to mainstream schools
From September 2023 all free school transport passes will be issued with a photo. Emails are being sent out for those who qualify for assistance.
Passes are currently being sent for those who provided a photo before the end of August. They will continue to be sent during the week commencing 28 August 2023 so please wait for delivery during this week.
Please see these pages for more information:
We will only send travel passes to families where a photo has been provided and the address and school matches our records. If your family have changed address or the school placement has changed please tell us about a change.
As it is a busy time between July and September. Please only contact us with queries about your transport if it is urgent.
We check for transport entitlement when children are offered a mainstream school. You only need to apply for low income transport, or child or parents with medical or physical conditions. Transport for children with an EHC plan should be discussed with the Assessment and Planning Officer.
We only provide free transport to a child’s designated school.
A designated school is the school suitable to your child which serves your area. If there is more than one school, it is the nearest suitable school to your home with places.
If we did not offer a place at your nearest or designated school because of the following reasons, you will need to arrange and pay for your child's home to school transport:
- You did not name it on your application
- You received a higher preference
Here are some examples to help understand the process:
Child A lives in Forest Row. Forest Row is in the community area for both Beacon Academy and Chailey School. The designated school for Forest Row is Beacon Academy, as this is the closer of the two schools. Child A's parents apply for Beacon, which is over 3 miles away. Child A qualifies for free transport.
Child B lives in Herstmonceux. Herstmonceux is in the community area for both Heathfield and Hailsham Community Colleges. The designated school for Herstmonceux is Hailsham Community College, as this is the closer of the two. Child B's parents apply for Heathfield, which is over 3 miles away. Child B does not qualify for free transport, as Heathfield is not the designated school.