To ask the Minister of Education to detail whether the Education Authority has met with community transport operators, to explore how they might be able to support with school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The Education Authority (EA) has engaged with Community Transport Hubs and other voluntary transport providers such as Disability Action, to assess their capacity to support home to school transport for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN). These groups provide a vital service in local communities; however, the transport they provide is different in nature to that of the school transport service and it hasn’t been feasible for community transport operators to provide the regular and consistent home to school transport services required. The EA informs me that this is due to a range of challenges, such as licensing requirements, funding structures, staffing limitations and the difficulty in allocating limited resources to daily scheduled services.

The EA has advised me that it is continuing to liaise with community transport operators and will explore any opportunities to develop solutions to support school transport for pupils with SEN that align with its statutory obligations.