Home-to-school transport

Public Accounts Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 10 Jul 2025 Parliament page
Many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) must travel long distances to schools that can meet their needs. The PAC’s January 2025 report on support for children and young people with special educational needs noted that a lack of state school capacity for children with … Read more
16 Recommendations
15 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
3 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
14 May
2026
Correspondence
6 Mar
2026
Report published
8 Jan
2026
Correspondence
15 Dec
2025
Correspondence
8 Dec
2025
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
8 Dec 2025
View on parliament.uk
Anna Bird · Disabled Children's Partnership Councillor Amanda Hopgood · Local Government Association Juliet Chua CB · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Nico Heslop · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Rose McArthur · ADEPT – Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education
Title HC No. Published Items Response
70th Report - Home-to-school transport HC 1238 6 Mar 2026 31 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
31 results
2 Recommendation Accepted in Part
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
The Department does not understand how access to transport is affecting attendance, nor how difficult...
The Department does not understand how access to transport is affecting attendance, nor how difficult it is for parents to navigate the system, particularly post-16. While acknowledging that transport is critical to accessing education and training, the Department does not … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the link between absence and distance from school and is exploring how best to understand the relationship between attendance and transport by working with local authorities to consider existing data. Work is underway through the SEND reforms to improve information for parents and young people regarding post-16 transport.
HM Treasury
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3 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
The Department does not yet have the data it needs to oversee home to school...
The Department does not yet have the data it needs to oversee home to school transport effectively. Though local authorities have submitted spending data on home to school transport for many years, the Department has only recently started to collect … Read more
Government Response
The Department for Education has sent a separate letter setting out its plans for improving data quality and making the data collection mandatory, alongside the publication of this Treasury Minute.
HM Treasury
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4 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has now set out the detail of...
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has now set out the detail of its new funding formula for home to school transport but not yet set out its plans for monitoring whether it proves to be successful in … Read more
Government Response
The government will update needs formulas used to calculate local authority funding allocations through the Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-27 to 2028-29. The Department for Education will appraise the HTST Relative Needs Formula ahead of the next multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement from 2029-30.
HM Treasury
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5 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
While the Government has now announced plans to write off 90% of the historic deficit...
While the Government has now announced plans to write off 90% of the historic deficit from SEND overspending, the plan for deficits arising from now until March 2028 remains unclear. Funding for SEND- related high-needs spending has not kept pace … Read more
Government Response
The government confirmed the first phase of support for SEND deficits, addressing historic High Needs-related deficits accrued up to the end of 2025-26, with the High Needs Stability Grant covering 90% of High Needs-related SEND deficit. The government will confirm the detail on further support for deficits arising in 2026-27 and 2027-28 before the Statutory Override ends in March 2028.
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Better local transport options and an integrated approach to education and transport planning, would reduce...
Better local transport options and an integrated approach to education and transport planning, would reduce home to school transport costs, particularly in the most rural settings. The ongoing decline of bus services, particularly in rural areas, is a long-standing concern … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation and will work with DfT to ensure transport to schools is considered in guidance supporting the Bus Services Act 2025. DfE has worked with DfT to ensure that Better Connected takes account of transport to schools and education settings.
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion Acknowledged
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Education (the Department) and from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on home to school transport in England.1 … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's concerns regarding home to school transport and highlights reforms set out in SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First to create a more inclusive school system.
HM Treasury
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7 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Following our evidence session in December 2025, on 23 February 2026 the Government announced the...
Following our evidence session in December 2025, on 23 February 2026 the Government announced the reforms intended “to transform outcomes for children with SEND and end one size fits all approach”, and published its schools white paper detailing reforms to … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation to reduce home-to-school transport costs, stating it is already implementing SEND reforms that are projected to slow growth and eventually reduce spending by enabling more children to attend local mainstream schools. They are also implementing a new data collection, funding formula, and guidance, alongside wider initiatives to promote sustainable travel.
HM Treasury
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8 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Following the introduction of the Children and Families Act (CFA), local authority spending on school...
Following the introduction of the Children and Families Act (CFA), local authority spending on school transport for children and young people with SEND increased by 106% in real terms over the period 2015–16 to 2023–24— from £0.85 billion to £1.76 … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it is implementing SEND reforms aimed at creating a more inclusive school system, which are projected to slow the growth and eventually reduce home-to-school transport spending for children with SEND over time. They also mention new data collection, funding formula work, and guidance.
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9 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
When we asked what local authorities were doing to try to reduce the cost of...
When we asked what local authorities were doing to try to reduce the cost of home to school transport, ADEPT told us that local authorities had spent four years going through every conceivable way to bring down the cost. Approaches … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it has introduced a new home-to-school transport data collection to support benchmarking and sharing of good practice, worked on a new funding formula, and will publish new guidance promoting cost-effective travel, alongside wider initiatives to enable sustainable transport.
HM Treasury
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10 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Contact told us that, in its experience, the main way that local authorities had cut...
Contact told us that, in its experience, the main way that local authorities had cut costs was by removing discretionary transport provision for young people aged 16–19.15 ADEPT acknowledged that a lack of money meant that many local authorities had … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's observations and is implementing a new home-to-school transport data collection, undertaking work through SEND reforms to improve information for post-16 young people, and supporting local authorities to strengthen independent travel training.
HM Treasury
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11 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
We questioned the Department about local authority approaches to cost savings and whether all were...
We questioned the Department about local authority approaches to cost savings and whether all were learning lessons. The Department noted the wide range of approaches that local authorities were taking and assured us it was working with ADEPT and others … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it has implemented a new data collection for benchmarking and sharing good practice among local authorities, worked on a new funding formula, and will publish new guidance for cost-effective travel, alongside wider initiatives to promote sustainable transport.
HM Treasury
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12 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
The Department told us that the biggest driver of cost was SEND provision and described...
The Department told us that the biggest driver of cost was SEND provision and described successful SEND reform as the single thing that would make the biggest difference. It told us that children and young people with education, health and … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees, stating that the SEND reforms (Putting Children and Young People First) are expected to reduce home-to-school transport costs over time by creating a more inclusive system. It projects a slowing in EHCP growth and national transport spending until 2029-30, with spending expected to fall steadily thereafter as reforms embed.
HM Treasury
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13 Conclusion Acknowledged
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
In the academic year 2023/24, around one in five children of compulsory school age in...
In the academic year 2023/24, around one in five children of compulsory school age in England missed a day or more of school per fortnight – and around one in three at sixth form age.28 Government data from November 2025 … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the importance of tackling school absence, provides data indicating transport is a modest factor, and states it is exploring how to better understand the relationship between attendance and transport through existing data and qualitative insight. However, it deems extensive piloting disproportionate and acknowledges limited evidence on post-16 transport's impact on attendance or NEET figures, while reiterating existing local authority duties.
HM Treasury
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14 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Given that home to school transport policy aims to facilitate attendance, we asked the Department...
Given that home to school transport policy aims to facilitate attendance, we asked the Department if the current system was doing all it could to promote it. The Department told us that it saw transport as critical to ensuring access … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation to better understand the relationship between home-to-school transport and attendance by the end of 2026, using new attendance data tools, a specific absence code, ongoing exploration, and qualitative insight-gathering, while noting that extensive experimental evaluation would be disproportionate.
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15 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Contact explained that the changes in entitlement to transport after age 16 could feel like...
Contact explained that the changes in entitlement to transport after age 16 could feel like a “cliff edge” for those that would no longer receive it and that it had huge impacts on the whole family.34 The charity told us … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation and aims to strengthen its understanding of the relationship between transport and the NEET rate by the end of 2026, using new data collection, wider work on NEET drivers, and SEND reforms to improve information and support independent travel training.
HM Treasury
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16 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
When we asked how hard it was for parents to navigate the legislation, Contact told...
When we asked how hard it was for parents to navigate the legislation, Contact told us that it was a regular top topic on its helpline and that parents did not really know their rights. It explained that the system … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the conclusion, recognizing the importance of parental understanding. It is working through SEND reforms to improve information for parents and young people and supporting local authorities to strengthen independent travel training for more consistent delivery.
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Local authorities have submitted spending data on home to school transport for many years through...
Local authorities have submitted spending data on home to school transport for many years through the section 251 returns. The Department has not routinely collected information on how many children and young people receive transport, how they travel or why … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the conclusion and has implemented plans, detailed in a separate letter, to improve the quality of home-to-school transport data and make the data collection mandatory for local authorities.
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18 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
When we asked whether the Department’s data would enable it to capture best practice by...
When we asked whether the Department’s data would enable it to capture best practice by local authorities and help them to benchmark and negotiate better value contracts, ADEPT told us that the Department was making a very good start and … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it has already implemented measures to improve data quality and make data collection mandatory, as outlined in a separate letter from the Department for Education.
HM Treasury
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19 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
We suggested that the Department make the data collection mandatory for all local authorities and...
We suggested that the Department make the data collection mandatory for all local authorities and that they should provide data on a more granular and consistent basis. ADEPT told us the Department had been working with them to understand and … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation to make data collection mandatory and improve data quality, stating that the Department for Education has already sent a letter outlining its plans to implement this.
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Given its reliance on SEND reform to deliver significant change, we asked the Department if...
Given its reliance on SEND reform to deliver significant change, we asked the Department if it had sufficient data on the current situation to enable it to evaluate the impact of the new reforms. The Department told us that it … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the conclusion and has implemented plans, detailed in a separate letter, to improve the quality of home-to-school transport data and make the data collection mandatory for local authorities.
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
In its June 2025 Fair Funding Review, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government...
In its June 2025 Fair Funding Review, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said that home to school transport for children up to 16 accounted for approximately 3.7% of total local government spending in 2023–24.52 It is … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees, stating the recommendation is 'implemented' and detailing the updated Home to School Transport (HTST) relative needs formula introduced as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, which aims to more accurately assess funding needs and will be appraised ahead of the 2029-30 settlement.
HM Treasury
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22 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
We asked whether the new formula would take account of the higher costs faced by...
We asked whether the new formula would take account of the higher costs faced by rural authorities in respect of home to school transport. MHCLG told us that, across the local government finance settlement and in its revision of funding … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating that the updated Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-29 includes a Home to Schools Transport formula that accounts for factors like distance and area costs. The Department for Education will also appraise this formula before the 2029-30 settlement to consider further refinements.
HM Treasury
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23 Conclusion Deferred
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
The Department and MHCLG explained that there were different calculations for SEND and mainstream funding...
The Department and MHCLG explained that there were different calculations for SEND and mainstream funding to account for the additional costs associated with SEND transport, but that both were based on pupil populations and adjusted distances to school. For both … Read more
Government Response
The government has updated general local authority funding formulas, including the Home to Schools Transport formula. However, it will appraise this specific formula and consider further refinements ahead of the 2029-30 Local Government Finance Settlement, deferring a decision on specific changes related to post-16 transport funding.
HM Treasury
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24 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
In December 2025, shortly after our oral evidence session, MHCLG published the provisional local government...
In December 2025, shortly after our oral evidence session, MHCLG published the provisional local government finance settlement for the period 2026–27 to 2028–29 along with a technical note on the new funding formula for home to school transport.59 MHCLG published … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and commits to addressing SEND deficits by providing a High Needs Stability Grant covering 90% of historic deficits (over £5 billion nationally), with payments starting Autumn 2026, contingent on approved Local SEND Reform Plans, and will confirm future support details before March 2028.
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25 Recommendation Accepted in Part
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
We have previously highlighted how SEND-related funding—the high-needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant—has not...
We have previously highlighted how SEND-related funding—the high-needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant—has not kept pace with demand over the past decade, and that local authorities have built up substantial deficits.61 Cumulative deficits are projected to exceed £5 billion … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation and has confirmed a first phase of support, providing a High Needs Stability Grant for 90% of historic SEND deficits accrued up to 2025-26, contingent on DfE approval of local reform plans. The statutory override has been extended to March 2028, and further details on support for deficits arising in 2026-27 and 2027-28 will be confirmed before then.
HM Treasury
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26 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
We asked about plans for helping local authorities with historic and accruing deficits from now...
We asked about plans for helping local authorities with historic and accruing deficits from now to March 2028. The Department and MHCLG told us that government recognised that local authorities could not deal with these deficits on their own and … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and has confirmed the first phase of support for SEND deficits, committing to a High Needs Stability Grant covering 90% of historic deficits (over £5 billion nationally) for local authorities with approved SEND reform plans. Details on further support for deficits arising in 2026-27 and 2027-28 will be confirmed by March 2028.
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27 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
In written evidence, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) raised its concerns about...
In written evidence, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) raised its concerns about the unsustainable pressure that the costs of SEND transport were placing on local authority general budgets, noting that these transport costs are not covered by … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented. It outlines how SEND reforms aim to reduce home-to-school transport costs by 2031-32, and details new data collection, a new funding formula, and forthcoming guidance to promote cost-effective travel.
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28 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
We have previously raised concerns about the long-term decline of buses, particularly in rural areas.68...
We have previously raised concerns about the long-term decline of buses, particularly in rural areas.68 On home to school transport, the NAO reported that reductions in public transport services have increased reliance on local-authority-provided transport.69 Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and has implemented measures including DfE working with DfT on guidance for the Bus Services Act 2025, the "Better Connected" strategy, and future guidance for Local Transport Authorities. It also commits to investment in walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure to integrate home-to-school transport with wider networks and promote healthier travel.
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29 Recommendation Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
We asked about the role of local bus franchising, under which local authorities decide the...
We asked about the role of local bus franchising, under which local authorities decide the routes, timetables and fares, in reducing reliance on local-authority-provided home to school transport. ADEPT explained that better working relationships between local transport and education authorities … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it is implementing the Bus Services Act 2025 and DfE will work with DfT to ensure school transport is considered in related guidance and legislation. They are also working to integrate home-to-school transport into wider public networks and will reflect this in guidance for Local Transport Authorities.
HM Treasury
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30 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
Several witnesses stressed developing independence as an important part of home to school transport provision,...
Several witnesses stressed developing independence as an important part of home to school transport provision, while acknowledging that independent travel was not always suitable.73 The LGA told us that good practice for local authorities was not just about getting a … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the importance of developing independence in young people and is supporting local authorities to strengthen independent travel training programs and ensure their consistent delivery, as well as improving information for parents through SEND reforms.
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31 Conclusion Accepted
70th Report - Home-to-school trans…
The Department told us it was working with DfT on sustainable travel and that supporting...
The Department told us it was working with DfT on sustainable travel and that supporting active travel, such as walking and cycling, could improve accessibility for children but also offer benefits to the community 68 Committee of Public Accounts, Local … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and has implemented measures including DfE working with DfT on guidance for the Bus Services Act 2025, the "Better Connected" strategy, and future guidance for Local Transport Authorities. It also commits to investment in walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure to promote sustainable and active travel.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 31 of 16 classified
Accepted 26
Accepted in Part 2
Acknowledged 2
Deferred 1
Total 16 recs + 15 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
14 May 2026 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education relating to Home-to-school travel data collection, 30 April 2026
Parliament page
8 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from the LGA Children, Young People and Families Committee Chair relating to her appearance before the Committee on its Home-to-school transport evidence session on 08 December 2025, 12 December 2025
Parliament page
15 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from the Director General for Schools Group at the Department for Education relating to a follow-up to the Committee’s evidence session on Home-to-school transport on 08 December 2025, 10 December 2025
Parliament page