School transport costs surge in Devon - Online school head says a broader range of provision is needed

Councils say they are facing their most difficult year yet in securing school places for children with special educational needs, after new figures revealed that home to school transport spending has risen far faster than planned and is expected to climb again next year.

In figures released through a freedom of information request Devon County Council says it spent £28,924,974 on transport costs in the year 2024-2025 for 2,617 SEND (Special educational needs and disabilities) pupils. This equates to £11,052 per child.

The County Council states the increase is due to pupil need with either/both behaviour and medical reasons, behavioural needs resulting in pupils unable to share with others or additional support required for safety and children whose medical needs require more specialist support.

The National Audit Office recently confirmed that the total bill for transporting pupils with SEND has reached £2.3 billion, a seventy per cent rise since 2016. Several councils say they have already burned through this year’s transport budget and are preparing for further overspend in 2025. Some have started rationing transport for older pupils or restricting help to those attending their nearest suitable school.

Council leaders across the country had hoped for further funding to be announced in the recent Autumn budget to deal with spiralling taxi and minibus costs, which now average £8,116 per SEND pupil, compared with £1,526 for pupils without additional needs. But no further funding or provision was announced meaning the gap has widened steadily for the past five years, caused by  driver shortages, rising fuel prices and the lack of local specialist places.

Families say the lack of provision has left them stuck in a system that cannot meet demand. Some children are travelling long distances to schools that have space but no connection to their local community. Others remain at home for months because no placement can be found. Several councils have warned that this pattern is becoming common, not exceptional.

Devon based headteacher of Queen’s Online School and former mainstream secondary head, Lisa Boorman, said she regularly meets families who have reached the end of the process with no resolution.

“It is rare to meet a child who has been out of school by choice,” she said. “Most have been waiting for a place that has not materialised. Others have been travelling for hours each week. By the time they reach us, they have very low confidence and high anxiety.”

Ms Boorman said the transport bill is a symptom rather than the core problem. “If local specialist places existed, children would not be spending so long in taxis. The lack of provision forces councils into expensive decisions that do not always suit the child,” she said.

Some parents have reduced their working hours or left their jobs entirely while they wait for their child to get a specialist school place. While others say their children have lost interest in learning or become increasingly withdrawn because of the uncertainty.

Ms Boorman said the effect on pupils can be reversed, but only when they feel safe. “Small groups and predictable routines help them rebuild trust. Once they feel secure, learning starts again. Many of these children want to learn, but they have been moved around or left without support for far too long.”

Council leaders are warning that the Government’s SEND reforms, due in 2026, must address the shortage of local provision or the transport bill will continue to grow. Some have called for more mixed models of schooling so that pupils who struggle in large settings can be supported closer to home.

Ms Boorman believes that a broader range of provision could ease pressure on councils and reduce the time children spend waiting. “There should be more options between mainstream and fully specialist placements,” she said. “Online schooling is one part of that mix. It gives some children stability immediately, without years of delay or long journeys.”

Families, councils and heads are now waiting to see whether the SEND reforms will include any additional funding or whether another year of overspend is inevitable.