Transport and travel - SEND
SEND Travel Assistance Applications 2024/2025 →
Children moving from Year 6 to Year 7 - The closing date for applications for travel assistance for children moving from Year 6 to secondary school is Sunday 23rd March 2025.
Children moving from Early Years to Primary School - The closing date for applications for travel assistance for children moving from Early Year (nursery) to primary school is Sunday 27th April 2025.
If your child is moving to a new school, you MUST reapply for transport.
Any applications that are submitted after these dates will not be guaranteed to have a travel assistance offer in place for the start on the academic year 2025/26.
Please note that these deadlines are for SEND Travel Assistance applications and not free school travel passes (bus pass).
Getting around
Children and young people with SEND can apply for a National Travel Concessionary Pass from Transport for Greater Manchester. With this pass, you can travel free on buses, trains and trams in Greater Manchester and to some nearby towns during off-peak hours:
- From 9.30am to midnight, Monday to Friday
- All day at weekends and on public holidays. You can also travel free on buses anywhere in England between 9.30am and 11pm, Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on public holidays.
To find out if you’re eligible and more visit the TfGM website (external link).
How to apply
If you are eligible you can either:
- Write to Travel Concessions, Customer Services, PO Box 429, Manchester M60 1HX
- Phone 0161 244 1050 (7am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 8pm at weekends and public holidays).
Please note, if the person is over 18 the application needs to be sent to the Locality Team where they live to confirm eligibility.
Home to school travel
We can provide assistance with travel from home to school for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Assessments will be undertaken on an individual basis before offering the most appropriate support that meets their needs, is sustainable while also promoting independence. These options include:
- Walking with the support of a passenger assistant, as necessary
- Bus pass
- Personal Travel Budget
- Independent travel training
- Commissioned transport (utilising pick up points).
Dedicated door to door transport will only be offered where all other options are not practical or possible. Transport provision will be reassessed at each transition stage and if there is a change in circumstances.
If you wish to be assessed for eligibility of travel assistance, please fill out the form below:
Personal Travel Budgets
A personal travel budget is a sum of money paid to parents/carers of children/young people with SEND who qualify for free school transport. It allows parents/carers to make their own travel arrangements to school/college rather than travel being arranged by the Council.
Further information can be found below:
Independent Travel Support
Independent travel training supports young people to learn an important life skill and build their confidence, The training programme, which is delivered by Embrace – Wigan & Leigh, includes teaching young people a range of skills and techniques. This enables them to travel independently to and from school, college and social activities, enabling everyone to live their best lives. The scheme has incredible benefits for all in terms of confidence, good health and wellbeing, develop social skills, learn how to solve problems and opens wider opportunities to education, employment, training and their local community.
Travel Training is different for each person, and Embrace will assess each young person to make sure the right support is offered.
The training covers various topics, including:
- Personal safety
- Road safety
- How to plan a journey
- How to access public transport
- Learn routes and landmarks
- What to do if things go wrong
- Emergency situations and contacts.