SEND Transport Update – 5th September 2025
- Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum
- Sep 5, 2025
- 2 min read
From Oxfordshire County Council, shared via OxPCF
We’ve received a further update from Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) in response to the serious issues many families are experiencing with SEND home-to-school transport.
OCC has acknowledged the distress caused and shared details of the steps they are taking to resolve the situation. These include increasing staffing and opening a dedicated email inbox to manage urgent cases.
What OCC Is Asking Families to Do
To help the team process cases as quickly as possible, OCC is asking families to take the following actions:
1. If you have not yet heard anything about your child’s transport
Please email TravelOptions@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Include your child’s full name, date of birth, school or setting, and home address.
Families are asked not to phone (01865 323 795) unless the issue is urgent and related to transport not arriving on the day, to help keep lines free.
2. If your child is post-16 and you have not yet sent in their timetable
Please email the timetable to EE-specialeducationalneedsITU@oxfordshire.gov.uk
OCC cannot confirm transport without this. Over 100 timetables are still missing.
3. If you have not completed and returned the ‘Request for SEN Transport – Extra Information Form’
Please do so as soon as possible. OCC cannot progress your application without it.
4. If your family has moved house over the summer
Please email your updated details to SENSchoolTransportEligibility@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Eligibility will need to be reassessed before transport can be arranged.
5. Phone contact
Only use this phone number in an emergency:
📞 01865 323 795
This line is reserved for same-day urgent issues such as a vehicle not arriving.
What OCC Has Said So Far
The emergency mailbox (TravelOptions@oxfordshire.gov.uk) opened Wednesday afternoon.
By the time of writing, 95 emails had been received, 60 responded to, and 49 resolved.
Staff are working extended hours and OCC is prioritising urgent queries.
The automatic reply from the inbox has now been updated to request key details to help speed up the process.
What We Are Still Asking OCC to Clarify
We have asked OCC to provide further information for families on the following points:
Whether there will be direct communication from the service to all affected families, not just those connected to OxPCF.
Whether interim arrangements such as reimbursements or personal travel budgets are being considered for families still without transport.
What the escalation route is for families whose transport has not turned up or has not been confirmed, particularly when it was in place previously.
We continue to raise these issues on your behalf, and we’ll share OCC’s next update — expected Monday 9th September — as soon as it becomes available.
Have Your Say
Ofsted is expected to visit Oxfordshire very soon for a formal SEND monitoring inspection.
This is a key opportunity to make sure your family’s voice and experience of local services is heard.
Fill in the Ofsted SEND survey (approx. 10 minutes):
https://www.menti.com/alxnvajpnpo8
Continue to share your feedback with OxPCF to help us advocate for families:
Thank you for your continued patience and support. We know this situation is placing a huge strain on families and we will keep doing everything we can to ensure your voices are heard.
Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum (OxPCF)