Surrey County Council offers the following transport support to Surrey students’

Follow these links to find out more information on these topics: -

16 -19 Bursary / Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 
Surrey's Home to School/College Transport policy
Student Fare Card
Special Education Needs

 

 16 -19 Bursary / Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

EMA is closed to new applicants in England.  No applications are being accepted for the scheme.  The 16 -19 Bursary Fund has been put in place for those 16 -19 year olds who might struggle with the cost of full-time education or training.

Students between 16 and 19 years in full time education or training may receive a bursary.  Students most in need will be eligible to receive a bursary of £1,200 a year.  This group includes:

• people in care
• care leavers
• people claiming income support
• disabled young people that receive Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance

Other students facing genuine financial difficulties may be awarded a bursary at the discretion of their school, college or training provider.

Unlike the EMA, schools, colleges and training providers will be responsible for awarding bursaries to students. With the exception of the £1,200 bursaries for students most in need, they decide on the amount. They will also decide when bursaries are paid, and will set conditions that students should meet to receive a bursary, for example, linked to behaviour or attendance.

To find out more about the 16 - 19 bursary speak to Student Support Services or your tutor.  Further information is available on http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/14To19/MoneyToLearn/16to19bursary/DG_066955

Surrey's Home to School/College Transport Policy

Assistance with travel can be granted to students if they meet one of the criteria set out in 1-5 below:

1. Students who are in receipt of an Education Maintenance Allowance payment of at least £20 a week if they received assistance with travel in 2010/11 from Surrey County council and if they are continuing on the same course of study.
2. Students who are in receipt of a guaranteed bursary (for students in care, care leavers and those on income support). 
3. Students whose family is in receipt of the maximum Working Tax Credit or one of the following benefits:
   • Income Support
   • Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance (IBJSA)
   • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
   • Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
   • Financial support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
   • Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
4. Students who are unable to use the Student Fare Card because their sixth form or college is not on a public transport route for which the Student Fare Card applies.
5. Students who have a disability and/or learning difficulties and/or who are medically ill and who will incur extra transport costs to travel to school/college as a result of that disability or condition.  Evidence of the disability and/or learning difficulty and why it would cause the student to incur extra costs must be provided from a GP and/or Consultant.  Where appropriate the County Council reserves the right to seek the view of Surrey County Council's Designated Medical Officer.  It also reserves the right to refer the student to an Independent Travel Trainer so that they might develop skills to travel independenlty in future.

Students must also satisfy the following criteria:

• be ordinarily resident in Surrey County Council; and
• be 16 to 18 years of age (or aged 19, if they aer continuing a course that they started before their 19th birthday) and in Year 12 or 13 at school, or attending a course of further education at college; and
• be attending a publically maintained school/college within the United Kingdom; and
• be attending a full-time, non-advanced course of at least one academic year duration.  A full-time course is classified as a course with a minimum attendance of 12 hours a week; and
• be attending a course that is not available at a school/college closer to the student's home address (unless the student is continuing into the sixth form of a school that they received transport assistance to in Year 11; and
• not be in receipt of help towards their travel costs from any other source; and
• the walking distance between the home and school/college must be more that three miles

Types of assistance available:

1. Students cannot choose the type of transport assistance they will receive.  They will be expected to travel by the cheapest form of transport so the County Council can provide the most cost-effective service.
2. Where a student is in recepit of an Education Maintenance Allowance of at least £20 a week or in receipt of a guaranteed bursary and where they received transport assistance during the 2010/11 academic year towards a course that they are continuing on in 2011/12, they can apply for reimbursement of part of their travel costs to school/college where their fares amount to more than £10 per week.  Agreed reimbursement of costs in excess of £10 per week when using a Student Fare Card as appropriate will be made at the end of each term on receipt of a claim form accompanied by receipts for tickets purchased (using a Surrey Student Fare Card as appropriate) and confirmation of attendance at school/college.  Students under this criterion who travel on school contract coaches or other contract vehicles will normally be invoiced termly in advance (£127 per term equivalent to £10.00 per week).  More frequent invoice arrangements will be considered in cases of hardship.
3. Where a student's family is in receipt of one of the benefits listed in paragraph 3 above, support will be provided if the student's fares amount to more than £3.31 a day when using a Student Fare Card as appropriate.  Agreed reimbursement of costs in excess of £3.31 a day will be made at the end of each term on receipt of a claim form accompanied by receipts for tickets purchased (using a Surrey Student Fare Card as appropriate) and confirmation of attendance at school/college.
4. Where a student is unable to use the Student Fare Card to get to school or college they will be expected to make a contribution towards their travel costs of £3.31 a day:
   • If there is a seat on a contract coach or other contract vehicle travelling to the school and the student takes up this place then they will normally be invoiced termly in advance (£210 per term which is equivalent to £3.31 per day).  More frequent invoice arrangements will be considered in cases of hardship 
   • If the student travels on alternative public transport routes the amount to be reimbursed will be the equivalent cost when travelling by the lowest equivalent public transport rate, less £3.31 a day.  Costs will be reimbursed at the end of each term on recepit of a claim form accompanied by receipts for tickets purchased and confirmation of attendance at school/college. 
5. Where a student has a disability, a learning difficulty and/or is medically ill and cannot travel on public transport as a result of that disability or condition they will be expected to make a contribution towards their travel costs of £3.31 a day:
   • If there is a seat on a contract coach or other contract vehicle travelling to the school and the student takes up this place then they will normally be invoiced termly in advance (£210 per term which is equivalent to £3.31 per day).  More frequent invoice arrangements will be considered in cases of hardship 
   • Alternatively a taxi may be provided to take the student from home to school/college but the student will be invoiced for their contribution of £3.31 per day termly in advance.
6. Assistance to students who use private transport will normally only be considered if no public transport service or Surrey contracted vehicle is available between home and school/college, unless the student has a disability, a leaning difficulty and/or is medically ill and cannot travel on public transport as a result of that disability or condition.  If it is agreed to provide support towards private transport the student will be offered a petrol allowance to contribute to their costs only if the equivalent journey by car would exceed the student contribution when applying Surrey County Council's approved milage rate.  The petrol allowance to be paid will be the amount in excess of the amount that they student is expected to contribute to their costs.
7. Other than in cases where a student has a disability, a learning difficulty and/or is medically ill, taxis will not be provided unless there is no alternative mode of transport available that will get the student to school/college within 75 minutes.
8. Travel assistance will only be agreed for costs incurred at the start and end of the day.
9. Travel assistance will only be agreed for the course being applied for.  If the student changes course or school/college they will be required to make a fresh application.
10. Travel assistance will be withdrawn if at any time it is discovered that the applicatioin has been made fraudulently and the Local Authority will seek reimbursement of any monies that have been paid out in respect of the travel claim.  Surrey County Council reserve the right to take legal action against any parent who has made a fraudulent application for free home to school transport.
11. Travel assistance that has been agreed in error or where it is discovered that the student lives within the prescribed distance will be withdrawn.
12. No reimbursement of travel costs incurred prior to application will be made.
13. The County Council will not accept requests for reimbursement for registration or exam fees, or for travel costs for educational visits or placements, or the cost of the Surrey Student Fare Card.

top

STUDENT FARE CARD

BUS & TRAIN

1. For students aged between 16–18 (students must be aged 16 but under 19 on the 1 September of the year of application).
2. The fare cards cost £25.00 each for the academic year 2011/12.  The cards last for the whole academic year.  Discounts of £12.50 are available for those students who are receipt of an EMA of at least £20 a week or in receipt of a guarateed bursary (for students in care, care leavers and those on income support) or whose family are in receipt of the maximum working tax credit, or one of the following benefits:
   
   • Income Support
   • Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance (IBJSA)
   • Income related Employment and Support Allowance
   • Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
   • Financial support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
   • Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
3. Discounts are only available with valid proof of the above documentation.  Please send in photocopies of the full relevant documents.
4. You may only apply for both a Bus & Train Student Fare Card if you need to use both modes of transport daily to complete your journey.
5. Students must fulfil the following criteria:
   
   • Are in full-time further education
   • Are resident in the administrative area of Surrey, that is comprised of the following boroughs/districts
     
   • Elmbridge
   • Epsom & Ewell
   • Guildford
   • Mole Valley
   • Reigate & Banstead
   • Runnymede
   • Spelthorne
   • Surrey Heath
   • Tandridge
   • Waverley
   • Woking
     
6. For further information and conditions about the bus and train student fare card click on the following links
   Bus Student Fare Card / Train Student Fare Card

top

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

1. Transport will be arranged by the Special Needs team for students who attend their nearest  school with post 16 provision offering an appropriate course.  An appropriate course is one that enables the young person to meet his or her employment objectives or is specifically designed to meet the student's special educational needs.  The following conditions also apply:
   • the young person continues to hold a Statement of Special Educational Needs maintained by the Local Authority
   • the young person is under 19 years of age on 31st August prior to when they start their course
   • the distance between the young person's home and the school with a sixth form is more than 4 miles 

2. Students who previously had a Statement of Special Educational Needs (and the statement is no longer issued) and attend their nearest appropriate sixth form or college may be eligible for assistance with transport, subject to an assessment of their needs.(See Surrey's Home to School/College Transport policy above)
3. Where a student has a disability, a learning difficulty and/or is medically ill and cannot travel on public transport as a result of that disability or condition they will be expected to make a contribution towards their travel costs of £3.31 a day:
   • If there is a seat on a contract coach or other contract vehicle travelling to the school and the student takes up this place then they will normally be invoiced termly in advance (£210 per term which is equivalent to £3.31 per day).  More frequent invoice arrangements will be considered in cases of hardship 
   • Alternatively a taxi may be provided to take the student from home to school/college but the student will be invoiced for their contribution of £3.31 per day termly in advance.
4. Please also see Surrey's Home to School/College Transport Policy for further information

top