Delays in home-to-school taxis for SEND children

Oxfordshire County Council said it was "absolutely committed" to providing the neccessary support

Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) say they have been left in the lurch after transport arrangements were not made in time for the new school term.

Gemma, from Bampton, Oxfordshire, has a daughter with ADHD and autism and is entitled to taxi travel under an education, health and care (EHC) plan, but despite getting a request in early the service is not ready.

She said: "It's just been an absolute battle from the very beginning... honestly the amount of incompetency, and just the fact there's been no communication."

Oxfordshire County Council said it was "absolutely committed" to providing children with SEND the support they were entitled to.

Gemma's daughter requires a home-to-school taxi, and so the family contacted the school and authority in July to renew their service.

They later discovered the council only submitted the request on 2 September, that it would take 15 days to process, and a potential further 15 days for the transport team to find a taxi service.

In the meantime their daughter was left without a taxi on the first day of school.

Gemma told the BBC: "The response from the people in these positions could have made such a difference. Life's hard enough. We need to look after each other but we're failing our young people, and for those who feel they don't have a voice.

"The reason I'm speaking to you today is because I want somebody to listen. We all know about the special measures the local authority has been in so why haven't lessons been learnt?"

The council has been criticised for its SEND services - with an Ofsted report in 2023 saying there was a "tangible sense of helplessness" among families.

Clare Brenner, from the Oxfordshire SEND Parents Action Group, said the taxi issue was a "widespread problem".

"It should all be straightforward, unfortunately Oxfordshire seems incapable of getting it right," she said.

"A year ago today we submitted a petition to the council over the transport problems because there were hundreds of families panicking, saying on the first day of term they didn't know whether a taxi was coming to pick their child up.

"One year on and we've had exactly the same problems again this year. It's pretty shocking."

She added: "At the heart of the problem with SEND in Oxfordshire is the culture. That the needs of the child are not at the heart of what they're doing."

In a statement the council said: "We understand the importance of consistency and routine for children with autism and other SEND needs, and we aim to minimise disruption wherever possible."

It said Department for Education inspectors had "acknowledged recent improvements" but that it would "never be complacent".