1 Main factors that affect school transport planning The following factors will have the biggest impact on the development of any transport process: • Social distancing – For children with SEN&D, social distancing and regular safeguarding requirements are likely to be incompatible Many learners require the presence of a Passenger Assistant (PA) to support them throughout the journey and some learners may be unable to accommodate the new limitations placed on personal interactions, the personal use of PPE or the use of PPE by the driver, as a result of their need Many pupils, particularly those in wheelchairs, require support from transport providers to enter the vehicle and make use of safety belts or restraints, which will not be possible to provide at a distance Learners who are predisposed to spitting or biting are also going to prove more challenging to find appropriate transport for, while also safeguarding driver or PA health and it may not be possible to provide them transport if suitable mitigations cannot be found Eligible mainstream learners predominantly make use of free bus passes and travel on the public bus network to access their place of learning Government has suggested that the use of public transport should be kept to a minimum and has provided separate guidance to passengers and operators about how transport can operate while social distancing is in place Any mainstream transport model will be highly dependent on this guidance • Capacity – It is not possible to apply social distancing rules within some vehicles as there is insufficient space between the driver and passenger Social distancing within larger vehicles will also significantly reduce the overall capacity While social distancing requirements may be relaxed over time, network capacity will remain a significant challenge If current social distancing requirements were implemented as closely as possible, KCC would require at least 130% increase in capacity for eligible SEN learners and 500+% increase in capacity for eligible and discretionary mainstream learners SEN transport currently makes use of around 80-85% of the available network and mainstream public transport networks already run at up to 100% capacity in some areas of Kent, meaning these increases will be undeliverable if solutions only focus on sourcing additional vehicles • Service availability - As a result of reduced demand within the network, many providers have scaled back capacity Providers will require at least two to three weeks to bring services back online Around 270 pupils receive a free train pass and rail providers have indicated a two to three month lead time before the train network returns to full capacity While the transport marketplace has yet to see a significant number of providers cease trading, it is likely that the real impact of Covid-19 will not be felt until later in the year, once wider government support ceases and less buoyant companies are no longer able to continue trading If this occurs, overall capacity will reduce further and learners may unexpectedly lose access to transport support, with minimal warning As only a proportion of transport provider’s overall revenue is secured through school transport, it will not be possible for KCC provide financial assurances for the entire sector It is likely that significant organisational changes will be required to implement transport once restrictions start to ease This means that a number of students are likely to be provided different drivers, support staff or vehicles than they are used to This will prove challenging for pupils who require consistency as a result of their additional needs There may also be some delay between a child being identified as returning to school and transport arrangements being made available KCC will seek to keep these limitations to a minimum, but this will become more challenging as further year groups return to school It is also likely that there will be a reduction in Passenger Assistant availability, as a high proportion of the work force are retirees, who may no longer wish to work as a result of the increased risk of infection • Cost - While an increase in transport requirements will understandably coincide with a corresponding increase in overall transport cost, it should be noted that even if sufficient funds were available to pay for the required resource, the market place will not be able to provide the entirety of what is needed, due to the extent of additional capacity that is required Alternative approaches will therefore be required to ensure all students can return to school Development of a Potential model for all Year Groups As has been highlighted above, it will not be possible to transport all pupils at the same time while social distancing is in place, as there is insufficient capacity within the network and it will not be possible to procure new resources at the levels that will be required While KCC will its utmost to ensure as many eligible pupils as possible are provided free school transport, this is a logistical challenge on a level never before seen and there remains a real chance that it will not be possible to provide transport to all children until social distancing requirements are sufficiently relaxed This difficulty will be further exacerbated for families who have children attending different schools, as transport options may need to vary between schools If schools have not returned to full capacity by the start of the new school year, consideration will be also needed as to what changes will be required to the Kent Travel Saver pass and Kent 16+ Travel Saver pass to reflect the differing educational environment Further guidance will be provided if such changes are required 2.1 Additional considerations for Special schools Free school transport plans for Special schools will be designed on a school by school basis, via close co-ordination between the establishment, the Transport Eligibility Team and Client Transport As the majority of Special school students that receive free school transport are assigned to private hire vehicles, there is potential for greater flexibility when finalising these individual transport plans, although local capacity will dictate what is ultimately available 2.2 Additional considerations for Mainstream schools Free school transport for most Primary-aged pupils and a small number of Secondary-aged pupils is provided via private hire vehicles This will increase the potential for more flexible models to be developed for these students, although as vehicles will often serve more than one school, some area-based limitations are likely to apply Mainstream Secondary-aged pupils predominantly travel via the public bus network, which has historically been designed to run as efficiently as possible, on the fewest number of vehicles This means that this sector will face the biggest challenge when creating new transport models Area Education Officers will work with schools on a locality basis, in conjunction with Fair Access and Public Transport, to develop transport plans As local transport provision will vary greatly in one area of a Kent to another, these discussions will also include details of how transport was provided before the lockdown and details of limitations that may impact what transport arrangements are possible