SEND children in Warwickshire missing school and spending £120 on taxis due to transport failings

Families in Warwickshire describe the "anxiety-provoking" situation of finding themselves without school transport for their SEN children, as Hannah Ludlow reports.

Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Warwickshire have said they have been "let down" by the council after many were unable to get to school.

Any pupil under the age of 25 in the county who has learning difficulties or disabilities is eligible for free taxis or bus travel to school.

However, at the start of this new school year, parents claim that taxis did not materialise and bus passes were not issued.

Louise Lithgow-Dicker’s two children, Henry and Alice, are eligible for transport as Henry has special educational needs, and the family live too far from a bus stop.

The family, who live near Stratford-upon-Avon, had previously been told that the children would be picked up and dropped home by a taxi.

The day before Henry's first day of secondary school, Louise was contacted by the taxi driver who said they could take Alice, but that Henry was not on the system.

Louise said: "That started a whole 24 hours of absolute panic."

After finding a last-minute arrangement to get Henry to school, Louise phoned up the transport department at Warwickshire County Council.

After three hours and forty-five minutes on hold, Louise said the call dropped out at 3pm when the department closed.

She said: "I think I actually screamed 'no!' at the phone because I was in absolute disbelief.

"The transport department definitely let us down, and I think it’s let a lot of parents down because I know there are still numerous children who don’t have bus passes, who are supposed to be in a taxi being taken to school and not able to get there.

"The fear of being fined for kids not going to school, it does put a real fear in your head about trying to make sure you do the right things by your kids."

• Louise says Warwickshire County Council has let families like hers down across the county

Jodi Leake, a mum-of-two from Atherstone, has a seven-year-old son called Jensen, who has autism.

He is also eligible for free school transport, and was expecting a taxi to pick him up on his first day of school.

When the taxi failed to appear, Jodi said Jensen struggled to understand why.

She added: "They accepted it and told me he was granted transport but then after that it was just quiet until I emailed to say what time are they coming?

"Jensen’s found it really confusing because I’ve had to pre-warn him that the taxi might not turn up so I will have to take him myself."

Jodi has hit out at the communication from Warwickshire County Council has been "absolutely rubbish."

"An hour and a half on hold just isn’t acceptable, emailing back the next day isn’t acceptable," she added.

• Jodi says the confusion surrounding transport has affected her whole family

Other parents have taken to social media to share their experiences.

One person said: "Most of us have no clue if our children will even make it into school this week."

Another said: "People wonder why some SEN parents don't work" whilst one added: "For ASD children and their parents this is very anxiety provoking."

One parent said they "had to use Uber which costs £120 per day", whilst another wrote "The taxi came to pick up my autistic child and it took her to the wrong school, as they were told wrong by Warwickshire County Council."

The MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, Manuela Perteghella, said some of her constituents have had to pay for their own transport, which they cannot afford.

The Liberal Democrat MP told ITV News Central she has asked for a meeting with Warwickshire County Council to discuss what she calls a "wide range of issues concerning SEN provision".

She added: "It’s just unacceptable, I was an educator before becoming an MP and I know how important it is that children have educational rights, that they have access to education and not being at home because the local authority can’t sort out transport."

The Stratford-upon-Avon MP, Manuela Perteghella, is hoping to meet with Warwickshire County Council about a range of SEN issues.

In response, a spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council said: "We are aware that some families have faced difficulties with school transport arrangements this week, and we sincerely apologise for the disruption this has caused.

"As a priority, we are putting more resources into the call handling side to help address the challenges that members of public are experiencing due to the high volume of calls volumes. 

“We strive to ensure that all students have consistent access to education, and we are actively addressing the concerns raised.

"The Council is working closely with transport providers to resolve any issues and ensure that these services run as smoothly as possible. 

“As a local authority, we process approximately 5,500 transport applications annually, with 100 applications submitted in the last week alone.

"Applications are prioritised based on the order in which they were received. However, as indicated when applications are made, late submissions may take longer to process."

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