Post-16 Transport for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

There is no automatic eligibility for County Council-funded school transport after the age of 16.

There are a number of public transport service providers in Hampshire. In addition, many colleges and schools in Hampshire have their own transport arrangements. Students should check with their education provider about the transport arrangements and ticketing prices that can apply to both bus and train travel.

More information about these options can be found on in the Post-16 Transport Policy and on our Transport options page.

16 to 19 Bursary Fund

Young people with SEND aged between 16 and 19 can apply for financial support from the 16–19 Bursary Fund. The bursary could be worth up to £1,200 depending on a young person’s circumstances and the benefits that they receive , which can be used to pay for transport to an education provider. You do not need to be eligible for County Council-provided transport to qualify.

Parents, carers or young people with SEND aged 16 to 19 should speak to their education provider’s SENCO, class teacher or headteacher to find out more.

County Council Discretionary Transport

The County Council recognises that families may need a transport service to ensure that young people with SEND over the age of 16 can access an educational setting that is suitable for their needs. As such, the County Council offers a transport service under discretionary powers that requires an annual parental contribution towards the costs of the transport for some students. For more information, you can view the Post-16 Transport Policy 2025.

When assessing an application for discretionary Post-16 transport, the County Council considers strict criteria detailed in the Post-16 Policy and officers have been instructed to carefully review each application. A new application is needed for Post-16 transport assistance every year because the Post-16 Policy is reviewed and updated annually.

Applications for Post-16 transport assistance for the current academic year (2024/2025), also known as ‘in-year applications’, will be assessed against the Post-16 Transport Policy 2024.

Post-16 transport is not available to students in apprenticeships with employed status, students attending work placements or work experience, or for other bespoke arrangements including taster days.

Applications will only be approved where households have clearly evidenced that nobody is able to transport the young person. Work commitments alone are not sufficient grounds for approval.

Eligibility for students with SEND

To be eligible for transport assistance, a young person with SEND must meet each of the following criteria (as set out in our Post-16 Transport Policy 2025):

• the student has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or has a disability which means they require transport arrangements to be provided
• the student or parent can evidence that without transport assistance the student would be unable to attend their educational placement
• the journey from/to school or college is at least 3 miles measured by the nearest available walking route OR the child’s needs mean that the student cannot reasonably be expected to walk to school
• The student is attending the nearest school or college considered to be the most suitable placement

Parent/Carer responsibilities

For students aged 16 or 17 in September 2024 receiving transport assistance during the 2024/25 academic year, or aged 16 or 17 in September 2025 applying for assistance during the 2025/26 academic year:

• the County Council expects that parents and carers take responsibility for facilitating their young person’s attendance in education where they are able to do so
• families/applicants may apply for transport and explain their circumstances which mean that support from the County Council with transport would be necessary to enable their young person to attend their place of education or training
• reasons such as the parent’s working pattern or that they have children attending more than one school or educational placement will not normally be considered sufficient reasons for a parent being unable to transport a student
• evidence could include, but not be limited to, an employer letter regarding working arrangements, or a letter from a medical practitioner
• All requests for transport will be considered on a case-by-case basis

Parental contributions

If transport is provided by the County Council, a parental contribution may be levied.

Families in receipt of certain benefits as outlined in Appendix 1 of the Post-16 Transport Policy are not required to pay the contribution.

Where transport is provided to eligible students aged 19 or over who are starting a new course, a contribution towards the cost of transport would not be required.

Transport arrangements

Transport is only offered to or from the college and home, or to or from County Council-designated pick-up and drop-off points.

Where the distance between the nearest pick-up or drop-off point and home or college is less than one mile, we would not normally provide transport for that part of the journey. However, transport may be provided for students within these distances where this is recommended following an assessment of their individual needs. The criteria used to determine entitlement within walking distance apply in these circumstances.

The expectation is that students will share transport, and the drop off and collection arrangements are made in line with the college or school’s start and finish times. Transport is not able to take into consideration individual students’ timetables, and, where appropriate, the transport arrangement may include a waiting time at the start and/or end of the day.

Residential placements

Students eligible for transport attending residential placements outside of Hampshire will only receive transport at the start and end of each term, half term, and at other school/college closures. Any additional transport will be the responsibility of parents/carers.

In-year applications

If you are applying for transport within the 2024/25 academic year, you can find out how to do this in the How to apply section on this page. The service aims to provide a decision on applications within 10 working days, and it may take a further 15 working days for transport to be arranged. Your application will be assessed against the Post-16 Transport Policy 2024.

If you are applying for transport starting within the 2025/26 academic year (from September 2025), the Post-16 Transport Policy 2025-26 will apply.

2025 timeline and important dates

Post-16 Discretionary (SEND only) applications are open now. The deadline for applications is 30 June.

30 June 2025

All applications for children or young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) need to be submitted by 30 June.

Do not apply until your school place or educational placement has been confirmed.

The 30 June deadline for children and young people with SEND is subject to an EHCP being in place, or in the process of having one agreed. If an EHCP is finalised after 30 June, the application will be treated as an on-time application.

For awareness when applying, September’s contribution rates will not be released until later in April when rates are uplifted in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The School Transport Team aims to assess all applications within 6 weeks, at which point you will receive a decision on whether your application has been approved.

August 2025

Eligible children and young people will be allocated to transport by the end of August, and applicants will be notified about those arrangements through the Education Portal and via email. In a small number of cases, transport arrangements may not be able to start in September and applicants will be notified if this is the case.

Late applications

Applications received after the deadline will be treated as ‘late applications’ and can only be reviewed after all on-time applications have been processed. For the families of eligible children and young people who apply late, this means that transport may not be in place for the start of the school term in September and may not be available for the first school term.

The 30 June deadline for children and young people with SEND is subject to an EHCP being in place, or in the process of having one agreed. If an EHCP is finalised after 30 June, the application will be treated as an on-time application. 

Young people who already receive Post-16 Transport

A new application is needed for Post-16 transport assistance every year because the Post-16 Policy is reviewed and updated annually. If a child or young person received transport assistance during the last academic year, it does not necessarily mean that the child or young person will be eligible for the next academic year.

How to apply

If a child or young person meets the criteria in our Post-16 Transport Policy and require assistance getting to school or college, you can apply for Post-16 transport using the Education Portal (registration required). Before applying, you will need to confirm that you have read and understood the relevant policy:

• Post-16 Transport Policy 2024 for transport assistance during the 2024/25 academic year (in-year applications)
• Post-16 Transport Policy 2025-26 for transport assistance during the 2025/26 academic year (from September 2025)

You will also need confirm that you have read and understood our Code of Conduct for SEND transport, and that you wish to submit an application form.

If a young person does not meet the eligibility criteria, there are alternative travel options  available to residents of Hampshire, or you may be able to get assistance from the young person’s school or college.

Apply for Post-16 Transport on the Education Portal