Responding to a new report from the National Audit Office examining why home to school transport is one of the fastest growing areas of spending for local authorities, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“Home to school transport is a vital service, particularly for pupils with special educational needs (SEND) or those who do not live near their school and whose parents or carers are struggling financially – not all have their own car.

“As this report shows, however, the costs to local authorities are significant, especially after a period in which the number of children with SEND has grown substantially.

“It is not fair or sustainable for councils to have to go over-budget or artificially restrict transport that families rely upon. Doing so could harm school attendance and learning or plunge families deeper into poverty, with all the damage that can do to children’s learning.

“The answer is investment and reform to ensure all children and families with SEND get appropriate support - and this must start as soon as signs of additional needs first emerge. Action to tackle the root causes and symptoms of poverty would also help, and we hope the government’s child poverty taskforce will deliver this.”