Committee publication · Correspondence · 13 July 2026

Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education relating to Treasury Minute response – Home-to-school transport, 6 July 2026

Summary

The Department of Education's Permanent Secretary responds to the Public Accounts Committee on home-to-school transport and SEND reform. New data shows 503,000 pre-16 pupils used LA-funded transport in February 2026 (6% of all pre-16 pupils), with a 9% increase in SEND transport users. The government will provide £1.8bn for 'Experts at Hand' services and £200m for SEND transformation, with High Needs Stability Grants covering 90% of local authority deficits accrued to end 2025–26.

Key findings

148 of 153 local authorities (97%) responded to the second home-to-school travel data collection in 2026, up from 75% response rate in 2025
503,000 pre-16 pupils used LA-funded transport in February 2026: 195,000 with SEND, 308,000 eligible for other reasons; a 9% increase in pre-16 SEND transport and no change in mainstream transport since 2025
Government will phase support for local authorities: 2026–27 High Needs Stability Grant covering 90% of deficits accrued to end 2025–26, subject to approval of Local SEND Reform Plans
£1.8bn allocated over three years for local area partnerships to develop 'Experts at Hand' universal and targeted support offer; £200m for local authority SEND service transformation
Local SEND Reform Plans submitted by 19 June deadline; government approval decisions to be communicated in September, with reassessment of non-approved plans in November 2026

Tone

Procedural

Topics

education-policypublic-financesafeguardinglocal-government

Key actors

Susan Acland-Hood, Sir Geoffrey (Public Accounts Committee Chair), Department of Education, Local authorities in England, Integrated Care Boards

Notable line

“These figures suggest the amount of local authority-funded transport has increased since”

Key Quotes

“148 (97%) of the 153 local authorities in England responded, compared to 115 (75%) in”
— Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary · reporting on data collection response rates for home-to-school transport

“The increase in pre-16 SEND transport is in line with increases in the number of children with Education, Health and Care plans (EHCPs) but is also likely to be due, in part, to improved data quality and the increased response rate.”
— Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary · explaining the 9% increase in SEND transport users

“In 2026 – 27, all authorities with a SEND deficit will receive a High Needs Stability Grant covering 90% of deficits accrued to the end of 2025 – 26, subject to approval of the local authority 's Local SEND Reform Plan .”
— Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary · outlining government support for local authority SEND deficits

“… all local authorities will benefit from the £1.8bn we are providing over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and Integrated Care Boards, to work together to develop a new 'Experts at Hand' offer.”
— Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary · describing universal support funding for SEND services

“We recognise that local authorities have taken a range of difficult decisions over several years to manage their SEND systems and finances in the face of significant and growing pressures.”
— Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary · acknowledging local authority challenges in SEND service delivery

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗