• Replies 16 replies
  • Subscribers 73 subscribers
  • Views 2343 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Daughter unable to return to school after September with no taxi

ParentingAutism

I've been emailed today but the school asking if I have heard back from the taxi company regarding a taxi for my 16, nearly 17 year old. I have not. Due to being 16, we are not eligible for a free taxi but instead we need to pay £1400 a year, which we do not have. 

To start off with, I would take her and pick her up but then I would spend 4 hours a day on the school run, I have 3 kids altogether, therefore wasn't working much and not getting paid enough and anything I was paid went on to pay for petrol. My work is 1 hour from her school. Staff luckily said they would pick her up and drop her off which they have done for many months but this means she is missing out on education, approximately 2/3 a day, which isn't fair for her. 

They emailed saying they will no longer be able to continue this from September and that I would have to do this, but I am unable to. We have asked in the past if she could get the bus but for safeguarding reasons they said no. But I'm going argue this because she is going to be learning to drive soon so why can't she get this bus if she is able to drive a car. She could possibly be able to drive to school but that's months away. I'm not sure what to do. The last option is using her PIP money to pay for this but that means all she getting is so she can get to school, to have an education. It's so sad to hear. She will do anything to get to school, even if this means getting a job and paying for it that way. (Last time she had a job, her first one, she absolutely hated it and her mental health was rubbish) This is how much she wants to stay at school. 

If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know. She's absolutely devastated. 

Parents

  • When you say the bus do you mean a school bus or a public bus?

    Can she use a bus by herself in other contexts? If so then it seems absurd to suggest she could not do it for this purpose. If she has never tried to use a bus by herself then doing that on a weekend or school holiday would seem like a useful thing to try. Surely there is nothing stop you from trying this? If you mean the school bus then is the safeguarding to protect her or other pupils, and why?

    It seems a mad situation!

    You might be able to shorten the time it takes to get her driving licence if she could have some lessons on private land so she can learn everything about the technical part of driving. Also she has presumably already memorised the highway code and done the practice theory test online? Then all it would take would be learning to drive in traffic. As long as she doesn't end up having meltdowns if driving got stressful.

Reply

  • When you say the bus do you mean a school bus or a public bus?

    Can she use a bus by herself in other contexts? If so then it seems absurd to suggest she could not do it for this purpose. If she has never tried to use a bus by herself then doing that on a weekend or school holiday would seem like a useful thing to try. Surely there is nothing stop you from trying this? If you mean the school bus then is the safeguarding to protect her or other pupils, and why?

    It seems a mad situation!

    You might be able to shorten the time it takes to get her driving licence if she could have some lessons on private land so she can learn everything about the technical part of driving. Also she has presumably already memorised the highway code and done the practice theory test online? Then all it would take would be learning to drive in traffic. As long as she doesn't end up having meltdowns if driving got stressful.

Children
  • in reply to AuTriker

    I am talking about a public bus and she used to get the bus all the time but only a couple of times to near the school when she's been out on weekends. The only thing is that it's 1 hour long journey and she will have to catch the 8am bus which will be a challenge for her. 

    When we asked the school last time about catching the bus they said she can't due to safeguarding reasons. The bus stop she would have to get off at is on a busy dual carriageway and with her past it would not be safe. Also what would happen if for some reason she was dysregulated or had a meltdown on the bus or when she got off the bus? 

    Same with driving, if she was allowed to drive to school, what would happen if she got upset during the day and isn't regulated to drive herself home, it would be a 20 minute ish drive. Would I have to collect her and then take her to school the next morning? It's a tricky situation.