Purpose

Proposed Decision:
To agree the
Post 16 Transport Policy Statement including Post 19
for the 2026/27 academic year and activity required to deliver
future implementation
 
 
Reason for the decision
 
KCC has a duty to consider what support it is necessary to
provide to facilitate each young person’s attendance.
Historically, KCC has offered more direct support for some Post 16
learners, particularly those with SEND including EHCPs. This meant
that their transport has remained very similar after they turn 16,
even though there is no legal requirement to provide that level of
support. This offer has never been universal, with only a small
proportion of learners getting this additional level of support.
Most learners of sixth form age, including the majority of those
with SEND including EHCPs are currently expected to make their own
arrangements.
 
However, since 2018, Kent has seen over an 80% increase in
the number of children aged 16 and above with an EHCP. The
provision of transport for this group is inevitably more complex,
which means that it usually requires more resources to fulfil. KCC
is not provided with dedicated funds for Post 16 transport, which
means that any additional offer that KCC makes must come from its
general funds, namely the Council Tax that it collects from local
residents and government grants. As a result, we need to ensure
that our policy and transport services are both appropriate to meet
the specific travel needs of learners and are sustainable now and
in the future.
 
KCC held a public consultation between 27 January and 23
March 2025 to outline its proposed transport policy for
2026/27.
 
The key drivers for
the proposed changes are as follows: promoting independence;
rebalancing KCC’s offer to learners of sixth form age and
adult learners; and financial sustainability. These were explained
in more detail in related consultation materials and the cabinet
paper that will accompany this decision.
The
structure of KCC’s standard offer of support to both learners
of sixth form age and adult learners is proposed to remain
unchanged for 2026/27. KCC is also not proposing to alter the
criteria it will apply in determining which learners receive
support. This means the same learners will be identified for
additional support under the proposed policy.
However, there is no legal definition of what level of support
should be provided to these learners where KCC considers that
alternative support should be provided .The consultation proposed
the following changes to how Kent would provide alternative support
to these learners
 

Proposed 2026-27 changes for Learners of Sixth Form Age
The proposed policy would make Personal
Transport Budgets (PTBs) KCC’s default offer to learners who
qualify for additional support, to facilitate their travel to their
place of education. This means a KCC organised vehicle would only be provided in
exceptional circumstances, rather than to the majority of pupils
that qualify for additional support, as is currently the
practice.
 

Proposed 2026-27 changes for Adult
Learners
The proposed policy would to make two
main changes to the support provided to adult learners,as follows:

·        
Adult Learners would
be expected to apply for support via the Government funded 16 to 19
Bursary Fund from their learning provider before approaching KCC
for any additional support. The 16 to 19 Bursary fund is national
funding provided to learning providers to support a range of needs
including transport.

·        
Where KCC assesses
that any support provided to students via the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund
is insufficient to facilitate a student’s attendance at
school, college or training, consideration would be given to
support in the form of a mileage payment. KCC would offer a mileage
payment, as standard. Under the proposed policy, KCC would
generally no longer make transport arrangements for individuals to
whom it provides support. KCC would only consider providing
transport in exceptional circumstances.
It is also recommended that the Assistant
Director for Fair Access and SEN Processes works in conjunction
with learning providers to develop and fund cost effective bespoke
school led transport options that increase transport options for
learners. This requires delegated authority to the Corporate
Director for Children, Young People and Education, to enter into
relevant contracts or other legal agreements, including Service
Level agreements (SLAs), and ensure sufficient administrative
capacity, as necessary to implement this decision.
 

Financial Implications
The Home to School
Transport net budget is £97.7m for 2025-26. There are no
specific grants for home to school transport and the Council are
expected to fund their responsibilities through the General Fund
(Council Tax and other wider council funding) or where applicable,
parental contributions. This budget covers mainstream, post 16 and
SEN transport for eligible children aged up to 25.
 
The Council currently
spends approximately £10m per annum on Post 16 transport to
schools and further education providers. Estimated total cost
reductions from this proposed decision would be in the region of
£6m per year (when fully implemented). It is recognised that
in some individual cases, the proposed reduction in support may
give rise to a need to access other KCC services, such as
children’s or adult social care, however this would have to
be assessed on an individual basis. A contingency to mitigate the
risk of these additional costs to other parts of the council will
be considered as part of the full Cabinet Committee
paper.
 
 

Decision

As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills I
agree to:
 
1. Approve the Post 16 Transport Policy
Statement including Post 19 for 2026/27, and the activity required
to deliver future implementation.
 
2. Delegate authority to the Corporate
Director for Children, Young People and Education to take other
necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into
relevant contracts or other legal agreements, including Service
Level agreements (SLAs), and ensure sufficient administrative
capacity, as necessary to implement this decision.