You have the right of appeal against any decision we make about school transport for your child. This includes if we:
- refuse to give transport assistance
- give transport assistance that you believe does not meet your child's needs
- give transport assistance that you believe you will not be able to access
- ask you to pay towards the transport
- find and measure a route to your child's school that you disagree with or that you believe is unsafe
The appeals process
For stage 1 appeals, your case is reviewed by the School Transport Awards Review (STAR) panel. The STAR includes at least 3 senior officers from Children's Services, and they usually meet every 2 weeks.
If at stage 1 your request is refused, you can make a stage 2 appeal. You will be sent information about stage 2 when we send you the outcome of the stage 1 appeal.
The stage 2 appeal panel includes local councillors and is managed by Democratic Services.
If you ask for a stage 2 appeal, all correspondence from the stage 1 appeal is forwarded to the stage 2 panel. You can also give the stage 2 panel any other information you think is appropriate.
How to appeal
To appeal against a transport related decision, you must complete and return the transport appeal form below.
On the appeal form you can explain why you are asking for the decision to be reviewed.
It is important you explain:
- why you are unhappy with the decision
- personal family circumstances you believe should be considered by the panel.
It is your responsibility to provide any supporting evidence as the review panel cannot get hold of this information for you.
Appeals for medical reasons
If your appeal relates to medical issues you need to provide related evidence. This may be:
- a recent letter from your doctor, consultant or a relevant health professional
- a report from a social worker or other professional working with your family
Your evidence must confirm the medical condition and the impact it has on you or your child, including any medication taken and how it affects you. The evidence must include clear and specific reasons from a professional stating why transport is necessary.
Appeals for financial reasons
You can also provide evidence of low income or receipt of means tested benefits, such as:
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Tax Credits
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
If you provide copies of entitlement letters or award notices that are dated more than 3 months ago, we recommend that you also give us a bank or building society account statement from the last 3 months, so that we can see that the payments are still being made.
You can also send us any documents or other evidence that you think will help in your appeal.
If you need help with completing the appeal form or are unsure what information to include with your appeal, please email htst@bcpcouncil.gov.uk for further advice and assistance.