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If your child has been offered a school place you could be entitled to free home to school transport.
It is important to note that the County Council provides transport for full time students. Parents are required to make their own arrangements where the child is starting school and is working to a part time timetable.
Transport to Mainstream Primary Schools
A mainstream school is one which is a foundation, community or voluntary controlled school. View for more information regarding applications for transport to primary denominational (voluntary aided) schools.
Are you entitled?
Please read the information below to help determine whether you may be entitled to free home to school transport for your child. The information below covers students (aged between 5 - 11, ie school years R - 6) attending mainstream primary schools.
Policy
The County Council will provide free home to school transport for children to the designated or nearest school for their home address who meet the 'qualifying distance' criteria, which are:
The 'qualifying distance' will be measured by the nearest available route, that is a route between the home address and the designated school that can be walked by a child, accompanied as necessary by an adult, in reasonable safety.
The route and its availability will be determined by the County Council.
The County Council will also provide free transport for children who attend a school closer than the designated school for the home address as measured by the nearest road route. The 'qualifying distance' criteria will, however, still need to be met.
This policy applies only to children who are resident in the area administered by Essex County Council. Free transport may take the form of a seat on a contract bus or reimbursement of fuel costs for the use of a car in limited circumstances.
Low income families
One of the aims of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 is to secure fair access to schools – especially for children from low income groups, where lack of affordable transport can act as a barrier to choice. Essex County Council therefore also provides free home to school transport to those children aged above the age of 8 but under the age of 11 (school years 4 - 6), from low income families residing in Essex where they live more than two miles from and are attending their nearest qualifying school (to be a 'qualifying school', the school must have a space available).
Low income families are defined as those who are entitled to free school meals (whether the family is claiming these or not), or those who are in receipt of their maximum level of Working Tax Credit (WTC - ie no reductions due to income).
How to apply
You must complete an application form in order to apply for transport. If you are required to send in additional documentation in support of your application, such as income evidence, please do not apply online.
Please ensure that your application is fully completed. If you would like your application to be assessed under the low income policy, please provide us with currently dated evidence of your income and benefits. If you receive Tax Credits, please submit a full copy of your Tax Credit award letter for the current tax year to support your application.
If you do not need to submit evidence with your application, you can apply online here. Please ensure, if applying online, that you enter your email address carefully as you will receive an email confirming receipt of the application. If you do not receive an email, please check your 'spam' filter settings first - but if you still have not received an email then the application has not been received and you will need to try again!
Please call Contact Essex on 0845 603 2200 to request a paper application form if you are applying under the low income policy. We require one form per child.
Please contact the Education Transport and Awards Team on 0845 603 2200 if you wish to discuss your application further.
