SWWITCH Project - DEVELOPMENT OF ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS (SEN) TRANSPORT

Descriptions

Over the past ten years an increase in the number of children with Additional Learning Educational Needs has led to a large number of specialist schools/units being built and existing buildings being expanded. This has resulted in an increased demand for the specialist transport that is required in order to enable pupils to attend the most appropriate school for their needs. In many cases, the most appropriate school for a child with Additional Educational Needs is not the catchment school. This can result in the pupil being transported over a long distance and taking a considerable amount of time. Therefore, the pupil spends a significant percentage of their time in the vehicle with the driver, escort and others travelling in the vehicle.The needs of the pupils and the care level required for them vary considerably, which means that the transport provided also varies greatly. As a result of this, the cost of providing transport for pupils with special educational needs across the SWWITCH region now accumulates to over £8.5million.Additional Learning Needs Transport is a challenging area in terms of service delivery and cost. The four constituent authorities of SWWITCH have identified this area for review with the aim of delivering improvements in service delivery and where possible efficiency. The four authorities have determined that it would be more effective and efficient to secure professional services from specialist external providers to complete this review by the end of December. The aims of the project are to:•Create a better transport experience for SEN pupils •Deliver a safe school transportation system for SEN pupils•Provide a high standard service with trained professionals•Enhance communication with stakeholders SWWITCH aspirations are to enhance the transport experience for pupils with Special Education Needs by ensuring that those delivering/working on school transport are trained to a high standard and have the necessary skills, and at the same time maximise the cost effectiveness of the service.