Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Scrap Mileage Imposed By Essex County Council On School Transport For Children With Disabilities and SEN
Final supporters
My daughter Isabella attends a school which was chosen by Essex County Council due to no other closer schools having any places, this situation has not changed since she started school at 4 years old. The school that they allocated us is just over 2 miles away and consists of very busy roads, narrow pavements and hills a 45-60 minute walk one way. They provided fuel allowance for me to drive her to school as we are over 2 miles but we are about to lose this when she turns 8 (June) as we then need to be 3 miles away. Isabella has severe Sensory Processing Disability and borderline Autism (we are awaiting a revised Autistic diagnosis). The walk for Isabella would be dangerous as she has no sense of danger, she would happily walk into the road and not think anything about it. She suffers from Violent and Explosive episodes without any provocation. If we were to walk the intended route with one controlled crossing and one pedestrian crossing (all other roads have no pedestrian facilities to aid us crossing) by the time Isabella got to school she would be too tired to carry out her day at school and mentally not able to cope. If we consider the weather as well she is likely in Autumn and Winter to arrive soaked and cold. Essex County Council need to understand that nothing changes when a child hits the age of 8 she still has disabilities which make her a danger to herself and others, no child irrespective of a disability/SEN should be made to walk over 2 miles to school. My husband works and pays the bills and I have quit my job to become Isabella’s full time carer - we don’t have extra money for fuel. We have saved Essex County Council a considerable amount of money over the years by not accepting a taxi. Essex County Council need to either continue to pay us fuel money or provide my daughter with a place at Kendall Primary School which is approximately 500 yards from our front door.
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Updates
January 23, 2018
I am currently organizing all the letters we received from families facing these same arbitrary distance cuts. Use the link below to email your local councillor and demand they acknowledge that a disability does not simply vanish when a child turns eight.
January 23, 2018
The response to this campaign has been overwhelming and shows just how many families the council is failing. Now we need to escalate our pressure by emailing your local Essex County councilor directly and demanding they reconsider this mileage policy.
7 Comments
This is an impossible situation for a parent of a child with these issues. As a parent of a nearly seven-year-old child with sensory processing issues, who regularly screams loudly and publicly, or lies down on the middle of the path for several minutes, this would be a hellish, lengthy journey for us and those we passed. Every day. Please reconsider the provision of a fuel allowance for Isabella.
To make a child walk over 2 miles to school and back is awful .To make a sen child and family whom already experience a lot of difficulties at home walk over 2 miles is an absolute disgrace and a blatant disregard to the equality act .The disability act and a safe guarding risk!
They started charging parents here a few years ago now , very expensive to pay the amount they want, we were lucky cos they started the charge a year after my child started,but even in 6th form I will have to pay around £600 ,don’t know how I will pay that, it’s unfair and parents have to work more.
I do not drive and very soon my son will be attending a school that is going to be impossible to walk to. It is unfair to prevent any child from obtaining a fitting education because they cannot travel x amount of miles to get to their school.
Whoever makes these decisions at the local Council should be made to live with the family for a week and do the parents job before filling out any paperwork.
I think it's absolutely disgusting that any child age 8+ is expected to walk up to 3 miles to school daily and the 3 miles home after having a busy day at school. This to me is totally unacceptable in this day and age. Every child should have a right to go to the school that is the nearest to their homes.
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Scrap Mileage Imposed By Essex County Council On School Transport For Children With Disabilities and SEN
Final supporters
My daughter Isabella attends a school which was chosen by Essex County Council due to no other closer schools having any places, this situation has not changed since she started school at 4 years old. The school that they allocated us is just over 2 miles away and consists of very busy roads, narrow pavements and hills a 45-60 minute walk one way. They provided fuel allowance for me to drive her to school as we are over 2 miles but we are about to lose this when she turns 8 (June) as we then need to be 3 miles away. Isabella has severe Sensory Processing Disability and borderline Autism (we are awaiting a revised Autistic diagnosis). The walk for Isabella would be dangerous as she has no sense of danger, she would happily walk into the road and not think anything about it. She suffers from Violent and Explosive episodes without any provocation. If we were to walk the intended route with one controlled crossing and one pedestrian crossing (all other roads have no pedestrian facilities to aid us crossing) by the time Isabella got to school she would be too tired to carry out her day at school and mentally not able to cope. If we consider the weather as well she is likely in Autumn and Winter to arrive soaked and cold. Essex County Council need to understand that nothing changes when a child hits the age of 8 she still has disabilities which make her a danger to herself and others, no child irrespective of a disability/SEN should be made to walk over 2 miles to school. My husband works and pays the bills and I have quit my job to become Isabella’s full time carer - we don’t have extra money for fuel. We have saved Essex County Council a considerable amount of money over the years by not accepting a taxi. Essex County Council need to either continue to pay us fuel money or provide my daughter with a place at Kendall Primary School which is approximately 500 yards from our front door.
Updates
January 23, 2018
I am currently organizing all the letters we received from families facing these same arbitrary distance cuts. Use the link below to email your local councillor and demand they acknowledge that a disability does not simply vanish when a child turns eight.
January 23, 2018
The response to this campaign has been overwhelming and shows just how many families the council is failing. Now we need to escalate our pressure by emailing your local Essex County councilor directly and demanding they reconsider this mileage policy.
7 Comments
Im signing as im one who is penolised my 12 yr old needs transport n hes aparently 2 close n can walk across 4 main busy rds (not happing)
This is an impossible situation for a parent of a child with these issues. As a parent of a nearly seven-year-old child with sensory processing issues, who regularly screams loudly and publicly, or lies down on the middle of the path for several minutes, this would be a hellish, lengthy journey for us and those we passed. Every day. Please reconsider the provision of a fuel allowance for Isabella.
To make a child walk over 2 miles to school and back is awful .To make a sen child and family whom already experience a lot of difficulties at home walk over 2 miles is an absolute disgrace and a blatant disregard to the equality act .The disability act and a safe guarding risk!
They started charging parents here a few years ago now , very expensive to pay the amount they want, we were lucky cos they started the charge a year after my child started,but even in 6th form I will have to pay around £600 ,don’t know how I will pay that, it’s unfair and parents have to work more.
I do not drive and very soon my son will be attending a school that is going to be impossible to walk to. It is unfair to prevent any child from obtaining a fitting education because they cannot travel x amount of miles to get to their school.
Whoever makes these decisions at the local Council should be made to live with the family for a week and do the parents job before filling out any paperwork.
I think it's absolutely disgusting that any child age 8+ is expected to walk up to 3 miles to school daily and the 3 miles home after having a busy day at school. This to me is totally unacceptable in this day and age. Every child should have a right to go to the school that is the nearest to their homes.
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Im signing as im one who is penolised my 12 yr old needs transport n hes aparently 2 close n can walk across 4 main busy rds (not happing)