Independent Travel Trainers
Education and learning, Life skills, Transport and mobilityDescription
Who it is for
Independent Travel Training is available for students aged 14 and over with a special educational need or disability (SEND) who require assistance to travel independently to an educational establishment, resource base or work placement.
How students are referred
- SEND students applying for travel assistance to Further Education establishments will be assessed by the SEN Transport Officer and referred where necessary
- By Special Schools – the Travel Trainers work with groups of year 9, 10 & 11 students in Special Schools
- Requests from others such as school, social worker, SEN Casework Team, parent or carer
How it works
- Once referred a Travel Trainer will be in contact
- An initial meeting will be arranged with the student – this meeting can also be with the student’s parent or carer and school
- An initial assessment of suitability will be made and an explanation of training will be given
- The Travel Trainer will discuss any concerns with parent or carer
- Travel Trainer identifies and travels the walking route to the bus stop and bus journey
- Travel Trainer looks out for anything that may crop up on the journey or any landmarks to look out for when pressing the ‘stop’ bell
- Training is designed to make the student comfortable and reduce anxiety
- The Travel Trainer will travel with the student to begin with
- Training covers how to stop a bus, how to ask for a ticket, where to sit, how to behave on the bus and how to solve any problems (e.g. late bus or missing a stop)
- Once student is more confident the training will be through shadowing
- Student is met at the bus stop but does the journey alone – they are met again at the other end
- Eventually they will travel alone but are shadowed without their knowledge
- Once they are travelling completely independently regular contact is kept up for a short period to check they are ok and see if they have encountered any problems
The options once training is complete
All bus operators offer a range of daily tickets and most can offer various types of season tickets at a discounted rate.
For further information please contact Debbie Reed debbie.reed@somerset.gov.uk
Type of provision
Targeted - This is for people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families
Contact details
debbie.reed@somerset.gov.uk | |
Website | https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/the-local-offer/education/independent-travel-training/ |
Centre information
Accessibility and adjustments
Wheelchair access | No |
Location
Address | County Hall, Taunton, TA1 4DY |