SEND School Travel Update for September 2026

We know that, with the start of the new school year getting closer, waiting to hear about SEND home to school transport arrangements can be an anxious time for families of children and young people who are eligible for support.

Over recent months, Oxfordshire County Council’s Supported Travel Team has been working behind the scenes to improve communication with families and provide clearer information about what to expect over the summer.

As part of this work, we’ve been working alongside parent carers and the Supported Travel Team through a new School Transport Advisory Group. The group has been reviewing the experiences of families, identifying areas for improvement and helping to shape changes to communication and processes.

It’s still early days, and we know there is much more to do. However, we’re encouraged by the openness of the team to listen to feedback and work collaboratively with parent carers to improve the service.

One of the first outcomes of this work is a new letter and a one-page infographic, explaining the process, key dates and what families can expect over the summer. Oxfordshire County Council has started sending these directly to families who use SEND home to school transport, so you may already have received them or should receive them shortly. We’ve also included the infographic below so it’s easy to refer back to whenever you need it.

What to expect

If your child or young person currently receives SEND home to school transport, is aged 15 or under, and is continuing at the same education setting, you do not need to reapply for transport each year.

If you were asked to complete a Travel Information Form and returned it by the published deadline of 30 June 2026, the Supported Travel Team expects to contact you by 25 August 2026 to confirm your transport arrangements.

If your child’s travel is staying the same, you’ll receive an email confirming the arrangements.
If your child’s travel is changing, the team will contact you with the new arrangements.
If they are unable to meet this timescale, they will let you know and explain the next steps.
If you returned your Travel Information Form after the 30 June 2026 deadline, or submitted a new home to school transport application after this date, your request will still be processed as quickly as possible. However, your transport arrangements may not be confirmed before the start of the new academic year.

What you need to do

Check that Oxfordshire County Council has your current contact details.
Look out for emails during August (including your junk folder).
Let the Supported Travel Team know if your circumstances change.
Otherwise, there’s nothing you need to do – the Supported Travel Team will contact you directly.

You can view the one-page infographic below.

Let us know how it's going for you and your family

Whether your experience of SEND home to school transport has been positive or there have been challenges, we’d love to hear from you.

Your feedback helps us understand what’s working well, identify recurring themes and continue working with Oxfordshire County Council through the School Transport Advisory Group to improve the service for all families. While we can’t support individual cases, every piece of feedback helps inform future improvements.

You can share your feedback by:

Email: feedback@oxpcf.org.uk

Complete our Feedback Form

Send us a WhatsApp message or voice note: 07394 735666