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School transport for 16 to 19 year olds
Your child may be able to get a school travel pass or taxi place to go to sixth form or college. You may have to pay for it.
Eligibility and how to apply
Mainstream post 16, home to school or college transport FAQs Opens new window
New Scheme for 2019/20
Post 16 students applying for transport assistance for September 2019 may be entitled to a fixed grant of £150 per academic year.
Please note that the Council no longer provides Post 16 mainstream students with any of the following types of transport assistance (even if they have previously received one of these at Post 16):
- A Council provided school bus place
- A bus pass for a commercially provided school special bus service
- A bus or train pass for public transport, e.g. Arriva
- Taxi or minibus transport
- A mileage allowance (petrol refund)
Eligibility
Students will be entitled to a fixed grant if all of the following apply:
- they are 16, 17 or 18 years old when they start the course
- they are doing a full time course
- they live more than 3 miles from:
- their nearest school sixth form or freestanding further education / sixth form college
- their nearest freestanding Leicestershire further education / sixth form college
- their frozen Leicestershire school sixth form (the catchment school with a sixth form in areas where there have been no changes to catchments or age range since May 2012) – see the policy document for a list
The grant will only be provided for those students eligible according to the criteria above and:
- Are from a qualifying low income family (students entitled to free school meals or whose parents are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits or their maximum level of Working Tax Credit)
And/or
- Are ‘rurally isolated’ which means they live more than a total of 75 minutes away (one way, measured in the morning) from their qualifying school, measured door to door using public transport.
For further information regarding the scheme, eligibility and how journey times are measured, please read the FAQs above and Home to School / College Transport Policy below:
Mainstream Home to School / College Transport Policy 2019/20
How to apply
You have to apply each academic year for transport to school or college if your child is over 16 years old.
The 2019/2020 application form is now available.
Complete the online application form and note that we may ask you to provide evidence of low-income status separately.
You should submit your transport application form by 30 June 2019. We will then check your eligibility and aim to inform you as soon as possible after that, but all of the final decisions will be made by the start of the new academic year.
On confirmation of attendance, the grant will be paid by cheque for the full year amount during September, for those that applied by the June deadline. If you apply part way through the year, the grant will be reduced by a pro-rata amount at each half term (£50 per term). There will be no grant available for applications received after the summer half term (May 2020) in respect of 2019/20 academic year.
Applications for 2018/19
Post 16 students applying for transport assistance for the current academic year 2018/19 will continue to receive traditional transport assistance for the remainder of the current academic year only. This could be any of the following:
- A Council provided school bus place
- A bus pass for a commercially provided school special bus service
- A bus or train pass for public transport, e.g. Arriva
- Taxi or minibus transport
- A mileage allowance (petrol refund)
If you wish to apply for transport for the remainder of the 2018/2019 academic year please contact us on 0116 305 0002.
If you are eligible for transport and on a low income you may not have to pay.
You may be able to find cheaper transport through the school or commercial bus companies and public transport.
If you’re not eligible
If your child does not qualify for free school transport, you can:
- ask us to check again if you think we’ve made a mistake
- make an appeal
Farepaying and other options
Where the Council still provides contracted school bus services it also operates a farepaying system, where any spare seats on school buses it provides can be applied and paid for. Please note that farepaying seats are extremely limited and the Council cannot guarantee that your application will be successful so you are advised to consider alternative transport arrangements in case we cannot meet your request. The Council will not retain extra seats just for those in sixth form.
Post 16 students entitled to the fixed grant can also apply for a farepaying space but will need to submit an application form for each scheme. If you are eligible, you will receive a cheque for the grant and if you have also applied for farepaying transport we will contact you separately regarding the availability of farepaying spaces. If successful in being offered a seat, you can use the grant to help pay towards the £800 fee which is taken either by debit/credit card in one lump sum or by an instalment plan.
For further information on farepaying transport and how to apply, please see: Fare-paying place on school contract buses
Many academies now operate their own buses. Similarly a number of bus companies are providing commercial ‘school special’ bus services – the school can provide information on these options.
Further Reading
Home to School / College Transport Policy 2018-2019 Opens new window
Post 16 Transport Policy Statement 2018-2019
Home to School / College Transport Policy 2019-2020 Opens new window