Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

School Transport: Northumberland — [Carolyn Harris in the Chair]

12 November 2024 · 5 other contributors · 9,512 words

Opened by Joe Morris Lab Hexham

Responding minister: Catherine McKinnell

EducationTransport

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Joe Morris raised concerns about school transport: northumberland — [carolyn harris in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Families and students in Hexham and Northumberland face issues with school transport, including lateness marks due to delayed buses and inconsistent allocation of transport places for siblings.
  • The 685 bus route experiences significant delays, causing one constituent's child to miss up to two hours of school daily despite the journey being only 14 minutes from home.
  • The government is urged to address inconsistencies in allocating transport places, improve bus route reliability, enhance safety measures on major roads, and increase special educational needs provision closer to home communities.

Key requests to Government

The government should address inconsistencies in allocating transport places, improve bus routes reliability, enhance safety measures on major roads, and increase SEND provision closer to home communities. The Minister is also urged to support families by providing clearer guidance on transport eligibility for children with special needs.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Joe Morris Lab Hexham

The future of school transport is a pressing concern affecting constituents in Hexham and Northumberland. Families, students, and teachers face issues such as lateness marks due to delayed buses, inconsistent allocation of transport places for siblings within the same family, and safety concerns on busy roads like A69. There are significant delays on routes like the 685 bus, with one constituent's child missing up to two hours of school daily despite being just a 14-minute journey from home. The system also struggles to provide consistent results for families and lacks adequate support for students with special educational needs (SEND) who must travel long distances to access appropriate education.

Other contributors (5)
  • David Smith Lab North Northumberland

    The MP expressed concern about the lack of accessible transport options to secondary schools in Northumberland, particularly affecting children and families in his constituency. He highlighted that parents are spending hundreds of pounds annually on school transport, which is not aligned with the ideal of state-funded education. The nearest secondary school to Pegswood village is a 20-minute bus journey away, but due to oversubscription, students often travel up to an hour and fifteen minutes daily using multiple buses or trains at significant costs. For special educational needs (SEN) students, the situation exacerbates as they face longer commutes and higher expenses. The MP also addressed wider issues related to underinvestment in public services, such as reduced bus coverage and marginalised rail services, impacting local economic productivity. Asked the hon. Gentleman if he agreed that the previous Government had 14 years to dual the A1 but did not manage to do so.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Commends the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate on school transport, especially in rural areas. Discusses a meeting with Translink bus service and education authority to resolve some problems with rural transport. Asks if more needs to be done for bus services in rural areas where transport is limited to ensure children's education does not suffer due to issues with the bus service.

  • Neil O'Brien Con Harborough, Oadby and Wigston

    Recapped the government's funding announcement for social care and questioned whether local authorities would be compensated for the national insurance increase. Mentioned the end of the 'get around for £2' scheme and its impact on rural areas. Discussed the scrapping of A1 dualling project in Northumberland and highlighted the growth in high needs block spending for special educational needs. Emphasized the importance of small schools in rural communities and the role of the national funding formula. I am keen to understand whether local authorities will be compensated for the direct costs to their own staff of increased national insurance payments, as well as for the costs of services they buy in, such as home-to-school transport.

  • Sarah Dyke Lib Dem Glastonbury and Somerton

    Thanks the hon. Member for securing this important debate and shares a constituent's frustration about the daughter being unable to catch the school bus that stops at the end of her farm track, instead having to be driven or take a taxi to a further away school due to council insistence. Asks if the existing home-to-school transport legislation is too rigid.

  • Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale

    Discussed the impact of rural poverty on school transport, highlighting reduced bus services due to high costs and increased special educational needs transport expenses. Cited a 24% increase in children travelling to special schools over five years and an EHCP backlog growing from 105,000 to 230,000. Raised concerns about the strain on local authorities funding education amidst high visitor numbers and lack of support for students aged over 16.

Government Response

Catherine McKinnell

The Minister congratulated the hon. Member for Hexham on securing the debate, addressing the challenges of home-to-school transport and highlighting efforts to support children with special educational needs. She mentioned a comprehensive review by Northumberland county council in 2023 and outlined the Department's policy to ensure no child is prevented from accessing education due to lack of transport. The Minister explained that local authorities are required to arrange free travel for eligible children but are facing financial pressures due to rising costs, including fuel price inflation and staffing shortages. She discussed plans for future high needs capital funding, aiming to reduce long-distance travel by supporting more mainstream settings to deliver specialist provision locally. Additionally, she addressed concerns about transport for post-16 students, emphasizing the government's commitment to provide additional support through new grant funding announced in the Budget. The Minister also mentioned an upcoming statement on local government funding and plans to improve data collection on home-to-school travel to inform decision-making. She highlighted efforts to reform public services and the local government funding system while providing certainty for local authorities, aiming to fix the broken SEND system and support more inclusive education locally.

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