REVIEW OF HOME TO SCHOOL TRANSPORT TERMS OF REFERENCE Purpose 1. The purpose of this paper is to provide Terms of Reference for the Independent Review of H ome to School Transport . The paper defines the strategic context, key objectives, structure and timeframe for the review. Background 2. The requirement to provide Home to School Transport was first established in section 51 of the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 1947 with section 37(5) specifying the statutory walking distances. When applying the dis tance criterion, E ducation and L ibrary B oard s must take into account the shortest walking route. Although the route must be walkable, the policy does not place an injunction on parents that their child(ren) must walk to school . Latterly, Article 52 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 , as substituted by Article 23 of The Education (NI) Order 1997, requires the Department to assign criteria facilitating the attendance at grant - aided schools, and institutions of further education. The Department of Education (DE) circular 1996/41 (as amended) details the terms under which H ome to S chool T ransport is operated and defines eligibility for pupils who attend grant aided schools. The general principle of this means that pupils shall be educa ted in accordance with the wishes of their parents in so far as is compatible with the avoidance of unrealistic public expenditure. Circular 1996/41 breaks down the provision of transport assistance for qualifying pupils to two criteria: distance and suita ble school. 3. While the policy is set by DE, transport assistance is administered and delivered by the Education and Library Boards/Education and Skills Authority (ESA). Assistance can be provided by a variety of means. In determining the most suitable meth ods of assisting pupils, Boards/ESA take cost, availability, and convenience into account, both in the short and long term. This results in the current Home to School Transport system using a variety of different transport methods, including Board buses, p ublic transport, private buses, taxis, or an allowance to parents, in order to deliver the programme to pupils. 4. The key aim of Home to School Transport is to provide transport assistance to pupils who attend a suitable grant aided school, and who meet eligibility criteria. Eligibility applies to those pupils who live outside suitable walking distance. Statutory walk ing distance is defined in paragraph 3(6) of Schedule 13 to the 1986 Education and Libraries Order, i.e. 2 miles in relation to a pupil under 11 years of age and 3 miles for older pupils measured by the nearest available route. Strategic Context 5. The Mini ster welcomed the opportunity to conduct a review of Home to School Transport policy when the issue was first raised in October 2011, noting: “A full review of our transport services and policies across the areas is required. We currently have five boards that, by and large, run similar programmes.” “I intend to look at our transport services and the planning of education provision in every area. Both should support access to high - quality education and the appropriate educational pathway that all children and young people need.” “We have to ensure that the outcome of the review looks after those who are most needy in our society and young people with special educational needs, and embraces the rights of rural dwellers. We must provide a service that is co st - effective and delivers an efficient service for our pupils, our schools and the public purse.” Aim of the Review 6. The aim of the Review is to ensure that the revised Home to School Transport policy is fit for purpose, sufficiently targets pupils’ needs and is consistent with, and supports, Departmental policy objectives. The outcome of the Review and subsequent Ministerial decisions will be taken forward by the Department and Education and Skills Authority/Education and Library Boards. Structure of the Review 7. The Review will be conducted by an independent expert panel. The Department will provide secretarial support to the panel. Objectives of the Review 8. To undertake a fundamental review of home to school transport as provided by Education and Lib raries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 and contained within Department of Education Circular 1996/41 (as amended). The review must consider and make recommendations on two broad areas: The objective of home to school transport, in particular, the basis on which entitlement for transport support should be established. This should include: - to what degree a pupil’s school journey is the responsibility of the state or parent . the extent to which entitlement should be determined by transport to a particular school; and if so, when the school that a pupil attends is chosen, and when i t is not . consideration of the feasibility of providing free [public] transport for all school pup ils . whether support should be provided for intra - day movements of pupils between schools . whether it should be related to subject choice and availability . The manner in which support should be provided. This should include: - consideration of alternat ive models to the current model in which transport assistance must be provided by ELBs without charge; consideration and identification of the best delivery model, including where the support to be provided is the direct provision of transport services (e .g. buses, taxis etc) , or where transport will be procured from a third party. Wider considerations 9. The review’s consideration of the aforementioned areas must take into account that the policy relating to, and delivery of , future school transport : shall provide children in urban and rural communities with access to suitable schools. s hall take account of the Department’s legal duty to encourage and facilitate the development of Irish medium education 1 . shall take account of the Department’s legal duty to encourage and facilitate the development of integrated education 2 . shall take account of those pupil groups which may have barriers to learning 3 . shall ensure that necessary safety standards will be met. s hall seek to support other government initiatives around transport . shall seek to minimise congestion and the environmental impact of school journeys while deliver ing on the Department’s statutory duties in respect of sustainable development . shall achie ve the most effective and efficient co - ordination of public , school transport , and transport services provided by other public bodies . In areas where this is appropriate, this co - ordination should also be between North and South. shall facilitate cross - b order school attendance. shall take account of the area planning process announced by the Minister for Education in his Assembly statement of 26 September, 2011. shall achieve value for money through an effective and efficient use of resources. Consultation of Stakeholders 10. The views of stakeholders, including children and young people, should be sought and taken into consideration during the consultation process. Timing of the Review 11. The independent panel should complete its Report by the end of August 2014, at the latest. 1 Article 89 Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 2 Article 64 Education Reform (NI) Order 1989. 3 These groups include, but are not restricted to, pupils with special educational needs, Looked After Children, Traveller Children, Newcomer pupils, School Aged Mothers, pupils attending EOTAS settings
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 12:46:34 +0000
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