Consultation over school transport in Central Bedfordshire could be on the way - as council to consider five-year education plan

At a meeting on April 1, Central Bedfordshire Council’s executive committee will be asked to approve plans for a consultation on the home to school transport policy for students aged five to 16.

Currently, if a child doesn’t have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or has been placed at a specific school by the council, they may qualify for transport to either their nearest suitable school or one based on school catchment areas.

But the proposed changes would remove the ‘catchment school’ rule – and while parents would still have a choice of school, the council would only provide free transport to a child’s nearest one.

The council says this would align with Department of Education guidance and help save money as it faces “substantial” budget pressure – as well as taking vehicles off the road and reducing emissions.

The proposed change would honour existing students who receive mainstream transport to their current catchment schools, and the revised policy would only apply to new mainstream transport applications.

And the change would not apply to pupils with an EHCP or those placed at a school by the council.

Post-16 transport is also exempt, as it remains a separate transport policy.

At the same meeting, the council will also discuss its School Organisation Plan to assess school capacity across the area, and challenges created by new housing developments, demographic changes and the ongoing transition from a three-tier to two-tier education system.

The council says the plan also supports the expansion of SEN school places.

Cllr Steve Owen, executive member for children’s services and community safety, said: “We are pleased to put forward the first phase of this proposed plan, which sets out how we can meet the needs of families across Central Bedfordshire.

"Through careful area-by-area planning, we will provide new classrooms where required while repurposing surplus accommodation where necessary. The aim is to decisively accelerate the provision of special needs places in Central Bedfordshire and to accelerate the status of the Three Tier to Two Tier transition programme.”

The council has also pledged to work more closely with school leaders – with a further report expected in the autumn detailing the early priorities for inclusion in the capital budget planning process.

Speaking about the home to school transport proposal, cllr Owen added: “Councillors initially rejected this proposed change to the Home to School Transport policy in September 2024, as we felt more work needed to be done to assess the potential impact. Further analysis has now been undertaken and, with the cost of school transport will continue to rise – from £9million to £19million – we do need to consider potential savings for our Home to School Transport service, which is over and above what we are required to provide by law.”

Every day the council transports around 6,500 children to and from school on around 800 routes.

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