SMOT Strategy Document

enefit analysis of providing infrastructure improvements to routes to school and college. On a
local basis, where routes become available to walk, accompanied as necessary by a
responsible adult, families would have the opportunity to develop their own active local walking
and cycling initiatives as their journey to and from their place of learning.
Where routes are assessed as available to walk, notice periods are given to families and
schools, so there is the scope to develop and update local school travel plans with new
local travel initiatives.
School Travel Policy 2019
Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet reached a decision on 19 June 2018, to introduce this new
policy statement Home to School Travel Policy 2019-2020 on a phased basis with effect from
September 2019, for children as they join or move schools, age and distance criteria apply.
This policy statement also explains the new arrangements, which are applicable from
September 2019 including:
• Opt-into travel, where parents ask us to assess their eligibility. We would only allocate a
seat to an eligible learner if the parent requests this by applying to SCC
• Ask all parents to tell us annually that they would require a seat, where eligible (including
children who are currently receiving SCC funded school transport)
• Use Public Rights of Way when measuring the distance from home to school for
eligibility purposes
• Capacity building support is available to schools and communities through Suffolk
Brokerage provided by the Suffolk Passenger Transport Unit, so families can plan their
own travel arrangements. This can:
o
o
o
Signpost parents to commercial operators when parents wish to buy a seat for their
child to travel and/or
Where any spare seats exist on closed contracts running to schools, sell these on
a first come first serve basis
Advise families in planning their children’s travel arrangements
• In the Bury St Edmunds area, where there are both 2-tier and 3-tier schools, in addition
to providing SCC funded school transport to the nearest suitable school, SCC funded
school transport will also be provided to the nearest two-tier school (even if it is not the
nearest suitable school) if it is located more than the statutory walking distance from their
home.
• Where one of the St Benedict’s Catholic School sites in Bury St Edmunds is the nearest
suitable school to the child’s home, SCC funded school transport will be provided for the
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