DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REVIEW OF HOME TO SCHOOL TRANSPORT

Dear Parent

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REVIEW OF HOME TO SCHOOL TRANSPORT

The Department of Education has asked that I make you aware that it has started work on a review of the current home to school transport policy.  The Department has also asked me to make clear that the policy for transporting pupils with a statement of special educational needs that specifies a special transport need is not being considered as part of this review. 

The Department is hoping to work closely with parents, pupils and schools as it takes forward the review.

The first phase will see the capturing of ideas and views on the current policy and what a potentially new home to school transport policy might look like.  These ideas and views will be captured through responses to an online questionnaire as well as a number of meetings in towns in the coming months.  Information on the time and location of the meetings will be made available through the local press. 

I would encourage you to complete the online questionnaire by visiting the Department of Education’s website (https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/home-to-school). Further information that will help you complete the questionnaire is also available on the website.

 The Department has stressed that no decisions have been taken on any preferred option for how a home to school transport policy should operate in the future and that not all options that they will be considering would necessarily involve a reduction in expenditure or the number of pupils in receipt of home to school transport.  Any final decisions on changing the policy will be for a future Minister for Education to decide, and it may also require Executive approval.  It is likely that the earliest any agreed change could be introduced would be the beginning of 2021/22 academic year.