Suffolk County Council to freeze post-16 travel costs to schools and colleges

Suffolk County Council is to freeze charges for travel for over 16s to schools and colleges from September.
Published: 28 Apr 2022

The council’s Cabinet agreed fares should remain at 2021/22 levels for another 12 months to help families faced with soaring living costs. The decision means costs for the 2022/23 academic year will remain at £930 per year for mainstream transport and £750 for SEND pupils.

Councillor Rachel Hood, Cabinet member for Education, SEND and Skills, said the council had noted its charges were already in line with, or higher than, some neighbouring local authorities:

With the fuel, energy or other price rises at this time, Suffolk County Council does not feel it would be appropriate to ask families to pay any additional charge. We are particularly concerned that any uplift would affect less well-off families. We are also concerned that any increase might be considered unaffordable and may limit post-16 options for students, which absolutely is not an outcome desired by Suffolk County Council.

The decision will be reviewed in 12 months’ time.

The Post-16 Travel Policy applies to full-time learners aged 16-18 years, and those aged 19 years and over if they are continuing the same course started before their nineteenth birthday. It also applies to continuing learners with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) aged 19-25 years.

To qualify for funding under the scheme young people need to continue to study or train in one of three ways:
• Study full-time in a school, college or with a training provider (at least 540 hours of planned learning per year)
• Full-time work or volunteering (20 hours or more per week) combined with part-time education or training leading to relevant regulated qualifications (at least 280 hours of planned learning per year)
• Be working in an apprenticeship, supported internship or traineeship

The council is not required by law to fund Post-16 Travel and does not receive any funding from central government to fund it.

Applications for SCC Post-16 travel for the September term need to be made by May 31. Apply via the Suffolk On Board website.