The Local Government Ombudsman has upheld much of a mum’s complaint about the way her son was forced to share a lengthy journey to school.
Christine Graham, from North Somerset, said her 16-year-old son was traumatised by being put in a cab with other students.
Una Summerson says councils often offer families unsuitable transport
She complained about her local council’s decision to make her 16-year-old son, who has autism, share the transport.
Journey could be more than two hours
A direct journey to the teenager’s school takes more than 70 minutes in normal traffic. But the council insisted that he share the ride with three other students.
This left him facing a travelling time of more than an hour and 40 minutes.
Graham complained it took more than two hours in bad traffic.
Fallen out of education
She says her son has now fallen out of education following the transport problems.
Graham, from Clevedon, said: “The damage done was so great the whole placement just fell to bits and he’s currently not at school.”
The council said because the school was outside the county it did not have to comply with journey times guidance.
The guidance suggests that secondary school pupils should travel no longer than 75 minutes.
Ombudsman ruled on ‘ability to engage with education’
But an investigator for the Ombudsman sided with the family.
The investigator ruled that the authority had not considered whether a shorter journey would be less stressful and increase the boy’s “ability to engage with education”.
The council will look at the case again and review its policy.
Disability charity Contact a Family said of 2,500 parents, nearly half (48 per cent) suggested school travel arrangements meant they could not work, or have had to cut hours.
Una Summerson is Contact’s head of policy. She said the charity often hears from families “whose child is eligible for school transport but has been refused, or whose child has been offered unsuitable transport”.
Autism Eye contacted North Somerset Council for a comment but it did not respond.
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Published: 11 June 2019
