School and college transport assistance

Please read the Primary and Secondary Guidance Notes or Post 16 College and Sixth Form Guidance Notes before completing your application. Then either:

• fill in the relevant online form for the age of your child, either “Primary and Secondary School” or “Post 16 College and 6th Form”. If you prefer to complete a paper form, please email educationtransport@southend.gov.uk and provide a postal address where you would like a form to be sent
• or for Denominational (Faith) Schools, download and complete a Denominational (Faith) School Transport Application Form. Your celebrant will also be required to complete this

Online applications can take up to ten working days to process, but during July to September may take longer. For assistance to be issued by 1st September an application should be made by 21st July. After your application has been submitted, a confirmation email (with reference number) will be sent to you. If you do not receive confirmation, it may be that your application was incomplete, and may need to be made again. Incomplete applications cannot be processed

Decisions are sent by email - please make sure you provide an accurate email address and remember to check your junk/spam box for a decision

If your child is confirmed as eligible, we will email you with the following information:

• which pass has been agreed and how it will be issued to you
• if the award is to be a direct payment, the amount of the cost of the annual pass (or the cost of relevant tickets if less than a year) and where the pass can be purchased

For direct payments, we will also attach a form that should be completed with your nominated bank account details and returned to us. This will enable payment to be made for you to purchase of the relevant pass.

Please note that if a rail pass is issued we will provide this and further details in a confirmation email.

If the application is declined, you have the option to appeal – please see section 7 (Transport assistance appeals process).

Children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan can contact their EHCP Coordinator to discuss their transport needs or email educationtransport@southend.gov.uk to obtain a Request for Travel Assistance form.