Transport decision left disabled teen stuck at home

Rachel Steemson said her daughter Charlotte had missed over a year of school

A woman from Birmingham is calling for better transport provisions for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) after her severely disabled daughter lost access when she turned 16.

Rachel Steemson, 59, said her daughter Charlotte Sadler, 18, who uses a wheelchair and has epilepsy, had missed over a year of schooling until a seat was found for her last week.

Councils are not legally required to provide transport for Send pupils after the age of 16, but Ms Steemson said the impact on her daughter had been "significant".

A council spokesperson said they understood the concerns raised, but that decisions about transport were based on a range of factors.

"I'm angry about her missing the time. Also, if I hadn't done the things that I'd done, would I have been given the offer of a spare seat?" Ms Steemson said.

"Charlotte loves school. She's missed by everybody.

"She was developing so well to a level and it's just stopped and it's heartbreaking.

"She's missing out on physio, she's missing out her friends. It's not just an educational thing, it's social."

Ms Steemson said since losing her transport to Victoria School in Northfield, Charlotte had been "stuck at home with her mum 24/7".

She added her neighbour two doors down had a child with similar disabilities that went to the same school, who had had transport reinstated after only "six or so weeks".

Ms Steemson said her daughter was already disadvantaged and school was one area she enjoyed

The school is one of two that could cater to Charlotte's needs, her mother said - both about 10 miles from home.

She said due to her own health she was unable to take and drop off her daughter in what was an hour-and-a-half trip at that time day.

"Anyone else to go through this process, it's disheartening. Funding needs to be reassessed for our young people. It's not easy to bring them up," ms Steemson said.

"It's very tiring, it's very time consuming and Birmingham City Council have got their priorities all wrong.

"Our children and young people are so disadvantaged. They don't necessarily have a life that's going to be long. It's never going to be that they can be in work, especially someone like Charlotte.

"Give them this bit of education that they so enjoy."

Spare seat

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said they understood the impact the situation had had on Charlotte's education and that its priority was to "support young people with special educational needs and disabilities in accessing education".

"Following changes to the post-16 transport policy, the student was initially awarded a Personal Transport Budget to assist with travel using her family's Motability vehicle," they said.

"Her appeal for direct transport was considered by an independent panel but was not upheld. Subsequently, the parent applied for a spare seat on an existing route; however, at that time, the route was at full capacity.

"We appreciate that this situation has been challenging for the family. While we cannot comment on individual cases involving other pupils due to confidentiality, each decision is based on a range of factors, including eligibility criteria and route capacity.

"To address the student's circumstances, we reviewed the route and made minor adjustments to seating arrangements. This has enabled us to allocate her a seat on the same route, ensuring she can attend school regularly going forward.

"The council remains committed to working with families to find solutions that meet the needs of young people and will continue to review transport arrangements where possible."