Post-16 Travel Policy for the 2021/2022 school year

We are proposing to expand the Post-16 travel eligibility criteria for students in Years 12 and 13 by adding paragraphs 2 and 3 below to the policy.

We will provide Post-16 travel in the 2021/2022 school year:

1. to support students who are attending their nearest school sixth form or Post-16 centre, irrespective of the county boundary; or
2. where a student’s nearest school sixth form is located outside of Suffolk, Post-16 travel will be provided to the nearest Suffolk school sixth form; or
3. to enable students to attend the sixth form in their Transport Priority Area when travel to that school had been protected under the School Travel Policy for 5-16 year olds in September 2019; when they:

a) are full-time learners aged 16-18, aged 19 or aged 19 and over continuing to attend the same course started before they were 19; or relevant adult learners with Education, Health and Care Plans aged 19-25;
b) are undertaking an approved full-time course of further education study;
c) are normally resident in Suffolk; and
d) live at least three miles away from either their nearest school sixth form or Post-16 centre.

In line with the Cabinet decision made in June 2018, there is an annual increase to the charge we make for Post-16 students who use Suffolk County Council travel.

Whilst we will continue to offer this service at a subsidised rate, the increase is designed to close the gap between the actual cost to the local authority of providing this transport and what is paid by travellers.

We are proposing an increase of £30 per term for mainstream students and £10 per term for students who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), meaning the cost of travel for 2021/2022 will be:

• £930 for a mainstream student
• £750 for student who has SEND

The policy outlines in greater detail a variety of options that students can consider when thinking about how to get to their education provision. This includes discounted fare options on buses and railways.

We recommend that students plan their journeys to their intended Post-16 provision early and that they only apply for subsidised travel options from Suffolk County Council if this proves to be best option as cheaper tickets could be purchased elsewhere.

The policy provides an expanded section on the Independent Travel Training service offered by Suffolk County Council for Post-16s.

This offers a key skill that opens up opportunities for young people as they move into adulthood by giving them the confidence to travel independently to education, employment, training and socially. If they are assessed and provided with Travel Training, it will help students with SEND become independent travellers.