Home to School Transport
The Local Authority has a statutory duty, and in appropriate circumstances discretionary powers to provide assistance with home to school travel, based on a pupil’s individual needs and circumstances.
Parent and Carers are responsible for ensuring that their children attend school regularly and on time. Most pupils in Sefton:
- Walk to school accompanied, if necessary, by a parent/carer; or
- Travel to school on public transport; or
- Are driven to school by parents.
Wherever possible the Local Authority (LA) expects parents to make similar arrangements for children attending school.
Important Notice: Application Deadlines for September 2026
Please read the information below carefully to ensure your child’s travel support is in place for the start of the September 2026 school year.
It can take up to 25 working days to put suitable travel support in place. During particularly busy periods, or where a student has complex, needs requiring specialist support or additional training, this may take longer.
To ensure travel support arrangements are ready for the start of the new academic year, please submit your application before the published deadline.
SEND Travel Support – Application Deadline
You must apply if:
- Your child or young person currently receives SEND travel support, and
- They are moving to a new school or setting in September 2026.
Key Dates
- 15 May 2026
Deadline for SEND travel support applications, including children with SEND already receiving travel support who are moving to a new school.
Late Applications
- Late applications will be acknowledged but will not be processed until October 2026, when the Travel Support Assessment Panel reopens.
- Parent/carers are responsible for making their own travel arrangements until the application has been assessed and travel support has officially started.
SEND Post 16 Travel Support
- Post‑16 Travel Support cannot be arranged until parent/carers have confirmed in writing the name of the educational setting and the student’s timetable.
- Once the setting and timetable have been confirmed, it can take up to 25 working days to put suitable travel support in place.
- Parent/carers are responsible for making their own travel arrangements until the agreed travel support has been set up and has started.
Appeals
- Appeals submitted on the basis that the transport provided is not suitable, where the arrangements were made using the information supplied by the parent/carer, will not be considered until later in the new academic year. All such appeals will be processed in date order.
Mainstream Travel Support (Travel Pass)
- Application deadline: 5 June 2026
Applications received after this date may result in delays, and travel support may not be available at the start of the school term.
You can apply for a travel pass using the Citizen Portal Citizen Portal - Sign in
Applying for SEND Travel Support
You can apply for travel support using this online form or if you need further information please contact Travel Support Team Travel.Support@sefton.gov.uk
Eligibility
School age pupils are eligible for travel support if they:
- Are attending their nearest qualifying school and meet the eligible distance criteria relevant to their age group; or
- Are from a low-income family and are attending a qualifying school and meet the eligible distance criteria; or
- Attend their nearest qualifying school and unable to walk or access public transport because of their Special Educational Need Disability (SEND) or mobility.
For further information please see Sefton’s Travel Support Policy 2026 – 2028 and Statutory Guidance Home-to-school travel - GOV.UK
Sefton Council does not provide financial support for post-16 student travel. Your further education or sixth form provider may offer travel subsidies. These are funded by the Education Funding Agency and can be used to support students in different ways, including paying for travel costs.
If you are interested in a travel subsidy, please contact your child's further education establishment or school directly.
We may provide travel support to post 16 students with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability who are unable to travel independently to the nearest most suitable setting. These are assessed on an individual basis using the Sefton Post 16 Transport Policy Statement and Statutory Guidance Transport to education and training for people aged 16 and over - GOV.UK.
As a rule, we don't provide financial support for post-16 student travel however we may provide travel support to post 16 students with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability who are unable to travel independently to the nearest most suitable setting.
These are assessed on an individual basis using the Sefton Post 16 Transport Policy Statement and Statutory Guidance
Your further education or sixth form provider may offer travel subsidies. These are funded by the Education Funding Agency and can be used to support students in different ways, including paying for travel costs. If you are interested in a travel subsidy, please contact your child's further education establishment or school directly.
Home to School Travel Support enables your child to get from home to school. The type of support is based on your child’s individual needs and with regard to the best use of the Council’s resources. This can include a travel pass, independent travel training, a personal travel budget or a place on commissioned transport.
Most children eligible for Travel Support will be issued with a travel pass, some children with Special Educational Needs Disability may require a more personalised travel solution.
A personal transport budget (PTB) is money to help you get your child to school. The money allows you to make flexible arrangements, monitor the quality of your child’s transport directly or work with other families to achieve the best possible travel arrangements your child and their friends. More information on Personal Travel Budgets please download our leaflet or contact the Travel Team.
If your child has Special Educational Needs and/or Disability use this form for an assessment of eligibility.
For all other students use this form to apply for a public transport Travel Pass.
If you are refused a travel pass or travel support under the current policy, you will be offered the right of appeal against the decision.
Appeal forms can be found in Related Links Section on this page.
Home to School Travel Support
Telephone: 0151 934 3399
E-mail: Travel.Support@Sefton.gov.uk
3rd Floor, Magdalen House
30 Trinity Road
Bootle
L20 3NJ
Public Transport – Merseytravel
Telephone: 0151 330 1000
Website: www.merseytravel.gov.uk/
| Post 16 Policy Statement 2026 - 2028 |  (pdf 610KB) |
| Home to School Policy 2026-2028 | (pdf 574KB) |
| Appeals Fact Sheet | (pdf 424KB) |
| Appeal Form |  (word 274KB) |