Kent County Council: Delays for special needs children 'regrettable'

Council officials in Kent are seeking clarity from taxi and bus firms to ensure eligible pupils get to school

A senior councillor issued an apology for "regrettable" delays special needs children experienced getting to school.

Councillor Shellina Prendergast expressed "sincere apologies" for the difficulties faced by parents in Kent.

Nearly 300 children with special needs failed to attend lessons because transport contracts were not arranged in time.

Kent County Council (KCC) said it is seeking clarity from bus and taxi firms to ensure eligible pupils get to class.

It emerged about 30 families are still waiting to hear from the authority about their eligibility. KCC's cabinet will discuss the issue on 3 March, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Uncertainty and anxiety'

Ms Prendergast, KCC's cabinet member for education, said: "We know this will have created a huge amount of uncertainty and anxiety for many families and their children."

She added: "Our absolute priority is to secure transport for those who are still waiting."

The problems emerged after a shake-up of travel arrangements for 5,000 special educational needs and disabilities children in Kent.

The changes were brought in to existing school transport contracts due to a rise in demand but a reduction in the number of drivers.

Some special needs children struggle with a change in routine, such as those with autism

Some parents said they were left trying to contact KCC to see if they were still eligible, with some spending time during half-term attempting to get in touch with the authority.

KCC said it was committed to delivering a "thorough" and "transparent" review to enable lessons to be learned.

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