If your child has been offered a school place you could be entitled to free home to school transport.
Essex County Council only provides transport for full time students. Parents are required to make their own arrangements where the child is starting school and is attending part time.
A mainstream school is one which is a foundation, community or voluntary controlled school.
If you are applying for transport to a primary faith (voluntary-aided) school, please apply via the
Faith Primary School page.
Policy
Essex County Council will provide free home to school transport for children to the designated or nearest school to their home address, if they meet the qualifying distance criteria:
- Two miles or more for children below the age of eight
(school years R - 3)
- Three miles or more for children aged eight and above
(school years 4 - 6)
The qualifying distance will be measured by the nearest available route. That is a route between the home address and the designated school that can be walked by a child, accompanied as necessary by an adult, in reasonable safety.
The route and its availability will be determined by Essex County Council.
Essex County Council will also provide free transport for children who attend a school closer than the designated school for the home address, as measured by the nearest road route. The qualifying distance criteria will, however, still need to be met.
This policy applies only to children who are resident in the area administered by Essex County Council. Free transport may take the form of a seat on a contract bus or in some circumstances the reimbursement of fuel costs for the use of a car.
Low income families
Essex County Council provides free home to school transport to children aged 8 - 11 (school years 4 - 6), from low income families residing in Essex where they live more than two miles from, and are attending, their nearest qualifying school (to be a qualifying school, the school must have a space available).
Low income families are defined as those who are entitled to
free school meals (whether the family is claiming these or not), or those who are in receipt of their maximum level of Working Tax Credit (i.e. no reductions due to income).
Essex County Council is able to offer parents/carers a payment in advance in order for them to take their children to school, when the cost of the payment is less than the cost of Essex County Council providing transport.
The mileage rate is paid at 45p to cover fuel costs for return journeys at the start and end of the standard school day. Please tick the box on the application form if you would like to be considered for advance fuel reimbursement.
How to apply
You must complete an application form in order to apply for transport. Printed copies of the application form and guidance notes can be obtained from the Education Transport and Awards team.
If you would like it assessed under the low income policy, please provide us with current evidence of your income and benefits. If you receive Tax Credits, submit a full copy of your Tax Credit award letter for the current tax year to support your application.
Download the 2011/12 form
Download the 2012/13 form
If you do not need to submit income evidence with your application, you can
apply online. If applying online you will receive an email confirming receipt of the application. If you do not receive it, please check your email spam filter settings first. If you still have not received an email then the application has not been received and you will need to try again.
If you are required to send in evidence of income in support of your application you cannot apply online. Contact the Education Transport and Awards team and request that an application be sent to you.
Please ensure that your application form is fully completed.
A separate completed application form must be submitted for each child. Please call ContactEssex on 0845 603 2200 and ask to speak to the Education Transport and Awards Team for further information.