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New statutory guidance on home to school transport published

new statutory guidance on home to school transport published

15 March 2013

At only 10 pages in length (compared to its 38 page predecessor), the new statutory guidance on home to school travel and transport follows the current DfE trend of ‘slimming down’ guidance issued to schools and local authorities.

Arguably, however, the new guidance now merely offers an overview of the statutory provisions, principally sections 508A-D of the Education Act 1996.

The previous 2007 guidance helped by putting some ‘flesh on the bones’ by explaining the statutory provisions in more detail, suggesting examples and providing good practice advice. For example, whilst the new guidance simply refers to the statutory walking distance as two miles for children aged under eight and three miles for children aged eight and over, the old guidance went on to confirm that the measurement of the shortest route could include roads, footpaths, bridleways and other pathways.

Therefore, whilst the new guidance is here to stay, it may be advisable to hang on to your copy of the old guidance for future reference.

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