can you just offer mileage allowance to enable parents to get their children to school?

R (S) –v- Education Ltd (Waltham Forest) & Others (November 2006).

This case concerned the actions of a local authority who were responsible for providing transport to a severely autistic child. The child failed to attend school for some period and transport was withdrawn. When the child started to attend again alternative transport arrangements were provided. The parents had written to officers of the local authority who took that correspondence as a refusal to accept the offer of alternative provision. As a solution the local authority then simply offered to pay for the mileage allowance.

The parents’ challenge of the local authority’s decision at the High Court was successful.