Warrington Borough Council Post 16 Transport Policy Statement 2019/2020

The overall intention of the sixth form age transport duty is to ensure that:

• Learners of sixth form age are able to access the education and training of their choice; and
• If support for access is requested, this will be assessed and provided where necessary

Additionally, local authorities are required to make such arrangements for the provision of transport, as they consider necessary in respect of

• Adults (aged 19 or over) for the purpose of facilitating their attendance at local authority maintained or assisted further or higher education institutions or institutions within the further education sector; and
• Relevant young adults with an education, health and care plan for the purpose of facilitating their attendance at institutions where they are receiving education or training outside the further and higher education sectors. For those young adults, the local authority’s duty only applies where the local authority has secured the provision of education or training at that institute and the provision of boarding accommodation in connection with that education or training.

Concessionary tickets are available from Warrington’s Own Buses (WOB), where WOB is the company operating the majority of bus services within the Warrington area. WOB also run services to Leigh, Altrincham, Northwich, Newton-le-Willows and Earlestown.

Under 21’s are entitled to a discount on Touch & Go tickets. This discount will apply up until the young person’s 21st birthday. For example, if you are aged 20 years, 10 months you may buy an annual under 21 ticket as you are eligible at the time, but the pass will not work from your 21st birthday.

For more information about the Touch & Go ticket, please visit Warrington’s Own Buses website

To find out if there is any transport or support available direct from the providers, please contact them directly by telephone or by visiting their website.

• Birchwood Community High School
• Bridgewater High School
• Great Sankey High School
• Kings Leadership Academy
• Lymm High School
• Preistley College
• Warrington and Vale Royal College
• Woolston Learning Village Sixth Form College 

Details for colleges in neighbouring authorities 

• Carmel College (Catholic Sixth Form College)
• Cronton Sixth Form College
• Reaseheath College
• Riverside College
• Sir John Deane's College (Sixth Form)
• St Helen's College
• Cheshire College South and West Chester Campus

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund provides financial support to help young people overcome specific barriers to participation so they can remain in education.

There are 2 types of 16 to 19 bursaries:

1. Vulnerable Bursary

A vulnerable bursary of up to £1,200 a year for young people in one of the defined vulnerable groups below:

• in care
• care leavers
• in receipt of Income Support, or Universal Credit in place of Income Support, in their own right
• in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit and Disability Livivng Allowance or Personal Independence Payments in their own right.

2. Discretionary Bursary

Discretionary bursaries are those which institutions award to meet individual needs, for example, help with the cost of transport, meals, books and equipment.

To be eligible for the discretionary bursary during academic year 2019/2020, young people must:

• be aged 16 or over but under 19 at 31st August 2019 or
• be aged 19 or over at 31st August 2019 and have an (EHCP) Education, Health and Care Plan
• be aged 19 or over at 31st August 2019 and continuing on a study programme they began aged 16 to 18 ('19+ continuers')
• be studying a programme that is subject to inspection by a public body which assures quality (such as Ofsted), the provision must also be funded by either a Government funding agency or the local authority

Schools and colleges are responsible for managing both types of bursary. Young people who want to apply for support from the bursary fund should contact their chosen school or college to make an application.

Further information can be found at www.gov.uk/ search for post 16 bursaries.

If you are a young parent under 20, Care to Learn can help pay for your childcare and related travel costs, up to £160 per child per week, while you’re learning.

Care to Learn can help with the cost of:

• childcare, including deposit and registration fees
• a childcare 'taster' session (up to 5 days)
• keeping your childcare place over the summer holidays
• taking your child to the childcare provider

Types of child care

The childcare provider must be Ofsted registered and can be a:

• childminder
• pre-school playgroup
• day nursery
• out of school club

If your child needs specialist childcare, the provider must also be on the Care Quality Commission’s register for specialist provision.

If you want a relative to get Care to Learn for looking after your child they need to be providing registered childcare for children they’re not related to living apart from you and your child.

Payments

Childcare payments go directly to your childcare provider. Before your childcare provider can be paid: 

• your childcare provider needs to confirm your child's attendance
• your school or college needs to confirm that your attending your course

Payments for travel costs go to your school or college - they’ll either pay you or arrange travel for you.

Attendance

Payments will stop if:

• you stop attending your course
• you finish your course
• your child stops attending childcare

Eligibility

You can get Care to Learn if:

• you're a parent under 20 at the start of your course
• you're the main carer for your child
• you live in England
• you're either a British citizen or a national of a European Economic Area (EEA) country
• your course is publicly funded (check with your school or college)
• your childcare provider is registered with Ofsted or the Care Quality Commission

Type of course

Care to Learn is only available for courses in England that have some public funding.

This includes courses that take place in:

• schools
• school sixth forms
• sixth form colleges
• other colleges and learning providers, including Foundation Learning
• your community at Children's Centres

Young parents are also entitled to apply for an Under 19 Bus Only Ticket or for those aged 19 and over can apply for the 19 – 25 card.

For more information please visit https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn

If you are not in education, employment or training and are considering your next steps back into learning you could talk to one of our Education & Employment Advisers who can advise on the right course as well as providing information on availability of financial support and transport options. The contact telephone number is 01925 442211, or you can access the website http://www.careersforyoungpeople.co.uk

As apprentices are employed and will being receiving a wage, no financial support will be provided by post 16 institutions in relation to travel costs. Young people on an apprenticeship are still entitled to discounts on bus fares up to the age of 21 (see ‘Concessionary tickets for young people 16 – 25 from public transport providers’)

Warrington Borough Council does not generally provide transport assistance for students aged 16 and above, but will consider providing support to young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities on a discretionary basis.

Any support offered will not generally meet the full cost of the transport but will consider assistance that is required due to the additional needs of the young person.

In order to access transport assistance from the council, the expectation is that a young person will be attending a local college or the nearest suitable college available to meet their needs. Therefore support would not be provided to attend a college of parental preference if the local authority view is that the young person could access an equivalent course closer to home.

Where a student is attending a provision in Warrington and the council is satisfied that this provision is the nearest suitable provision to home, parents/carers will be expected to contribute an amount equivalent to the cost of travelling from home to College via the public network in the year of study. For example, this would currently be £460, which is equivalent to the current cost of an annual Student Touch and Go Card, to travel by bus via Warrington’s Own Buses.

When it is agreed that the young person should attend a college outside Warrington parents/carers will be required to contribute an agreed amount equivalent to the cost that would be incurred if a student were travelling from home to that college by public transport.

Transport assistance may be offered free of charge to those applicants whose circumstances meet one of the extended rights criteria. The extended rights criteria applied to Post 16 applicants are the same as the statutory criteria set out in the council’s home to school transport policy.

Free transport will be provided to a Post 16 learner if the council is satisfies the learner is attending the nearest suitable provision to home and the learner or their parent is in receipt of maximum level of working tax credit or in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits for entitlement to free school meals.
In order to be considered in accordance with the extended rights criteria, proof of entitlement will be required at the time of application for transport assistance.

Students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who believe they may be eligible for transport assistance should apply using the application form available on the council website once an offer of a place at school/college has been accepted.
If possible, applications should be submitted by 25th June for the new academic year commencing in September, (for example by 25th June 2019 for transport commencing in September 2019).

If the application is not submitted before 25th June the council cannot guarantee that any transport support agreed will be available for the start of the course in September.

The council’s vision is that Post 16 learners with special educational needs and disabilities will be supported through Independent Travel Training where appropriate and encouraged to develop their independence by using public transport.

The Independent Travel Training (ITT) service will offer children and young people who have Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) a set of essential skills, enabling them to travel independently to and from school and college. This service promotes independence, increases confidence, improves social skills and opens up routes to further education, employment and leisure.

Each personalised training programme will be flexible to meet the young person’s needs and must be authorised by parents/carers. It will allow students to learn at their own individual pace. Training/support will be gradually phased out until the individual feels competent enough to carry out the journey from home to their place of education and return.

If a young learner is deemed ready to undertake Independent Travel Training, the cost of bus travel will be provided during the training programme. If the pupil has transport support this will continue on a temporary basis on the days not undertaking scheduled training, pending the outcome of the Travel Trainer report on completion of the programme.

For those learners who are able to access public transport, following participation in the Independent Travel Training programme, a travel pass will be provided for the rest of the academic year in which training was undertaken. Eligibility for a travel pass will be reviewed on an annual basis.

If your application for travel assistance is refused and your child, you can request an appeal against the decision by emailing schooladmissions@warrington.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can post your appeal request to:
The Admissions and Transport Team
Families and Wellbeing Directorate
2nd Floor New Town House
Buttermarket Street
Warrington
WA1 2NH

Your appeal should not include information which has already been considered as part of your application. Please provide additional information in support of your request.

Appeals will be considered by a senior officer and you should receive a response within 15 school days from the date your appeal request was received by this office.

Appeals Process for Home to School Transport

Warrington Borough Council Post 16 Transport Policy Statement 2019/2020