North Yorkshire Council is considering 24 proposed improvements to its home-to-school travel service following a review of policy changes introduced two years ago.
The review follows criteria introduced in September 2024, which shifted free transport eligibility from a child’s catchment school to their nearest available school. The local authority spends over £52 million annually transporting approximately 11,000 eligible pupils across England’s largest county.
While the evaluation concluded that the core policy meets its financial and operational goals, it identified areas to address practical challenges faced by rural families. Key recommendations include removing five problematic routes and associated footpaths from the automated mapping system: Fleet Moss Road, Keld to Kirkby Stephen, Buttertubs Pass, The Stang, and Kidstone Pass.
Additional recommendations focus on improving mapping accuracy, strengthening the appeals procedure, clarifying distance assessment methods, and updating family communications. The review supports keeping the primary rule where eligibility relies on a child’s nearest suitable school with available places.
“We know that school travel arrangements are incredibly important to families and that the changes introduced in 2024 have affected some households more than others,” said Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education, learning, and skills at North Yorkshire Council. “When the policy changed, we promised to review how it was working in practice and to listen to the experiences of families. That is exactly what we have done.”
“The review shows the policy is meeting its objectives, but it has also highlighted areas where we can make improvements,” Wilkinson added. “We are committed to learning from people’s experiences and ensuring families have clearer information and a better experience of the service.”
The proposals will go before the children and families overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday 16th September 2026, followed by the council’s executive on Friday 18th September 2026. If approved by the executive, a six-week public consultation will launch later this month before final recommendations go to full council in November. Existing travel policies remain active for applications for the 2026/2027 academic year and Reception or Year 7 admissions for September 2027.
