Passenger assistants

Information for parents and carers

About Passenger Assistants

Hampshire County Council has approximately 700 Passenger Assistants (PAs) supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Passenger Assistants play a key role in enabling children with SEND to attend school. They are responsible for supervising the students and ensuring they are happy and safe on the transport.

To ensure a high-quality service, the County Council carries out regular checks and risk assessments of the passenger assistant service. This could involve a member of the School Transport team travelling on a school transport service.

As a public body serving Hampshire, we seek to ensure zero tolerance of harassment, discrimination, bullying and abuse and will respond promptly to any incidents of these. This may result in a review of the transport assistance provided to your child.

The role of a Passenger Assistant

A Passenger Assistant will be provided on SEND transport when required, based on the needs of the children travelling. They monitor the children’s use of seatbelts and harnesses throughout the journey once they have been fitted by the transport provider. Passenger Assistants ensure that the student is left in the care of an adult at both the home and school. They communicate with the student in a way that is appropriate to their needs. Passenger Assistants are also trained to carry out emergency first aid if required as instructed by a medical professional.

Passenger Assistants are able to:

• carry important medical information provided by the parent and ensure medical professionals are called if needed
• notify delays by either reporting to the School Transport Team or calling the parent (by prior agreement)

Passenger Assistants are not able to:

• knock on the door to let parents/carers know they have arrived, as this may leave other students on board unattended
• wait for a child for longer than 3 minutes in the morning (or any length of time at a bus stop), as this may cause delays in arriving at school
• administer any medication
• lift children or heavy bags in or out of the vehicle
• change nappies or soiled clothing
• change pick up or drop off points without prior agreement from the School Transport Team

When we provide a Passenger Assistant

A Passenger Assistant will be provided on SEND transport when required, based on the needs of the children travelling.

Passenger Assistants are not usually provided on transport serving mainstream schools. An exception is made when a student with SEND is sharing the transport and requires one.

Passenger Assistants are not usually provided for Post-16 transport. If the student has an evidenced medical reason to support the need for a Passenger Assistant, one may be provided.

Passenger Assistant allocation will be reviewed if the County Council becomes aware of a change of circumstance, including where a parent notifies the County Council that the child’s circumstances or needs have changed.

PA absences

If a Passenger Assistant is unavailable for any reason, and we are unable to find cover, the transport may be cancelled, and this could be for the full duration of the absence. This may be at very short notice (on the day) and we would ask the parent to make temporary travel arrangements whilst the passenger assistant is absent.

If the route is cancelled, you may be able to claim travel expenses for arranging to take your child to school. More information about cancellations and delays.

We work hard to restore transport and would let you know as soon as possible if we were successful.

Training

Passenger Assistants are trained to ensure that students receive the best possible support during their journey. They are required to undertake compulsory training in first aid, safeguarding and promoting positive behaviour.

Feedback

If you would like to provide feedback about a Passenger Assistant, you can fill out the online enquiry form.