School transport for mainstream schools
Walking Routes to School
We use the walking route assessment from Road Safety GB guidelines to ensure fairness in providing free transport on road safety grounds.
You can ask us to review a walking route if you have concerns about the assessment by emailing RoutesToSchool@midlothian.gov.uk. New route assessments must be carried out during school term time.
Where a route has already been assessed, another assessment will not normally be carried out within 12 months unless there has been a significant change to the route.
Distance
How we measure distance
We do not use a straight-line or a circle drawn around a school - we use specialist software to measure your shortest suitable walking route from your home to the set point at the school. Two homes which look the same distance from a school on a map may have different walking distances. We assess each route and if something is not suitable for walking it will not be treated as part of the route.
Mapping apps such as Google Maps may show a different distance as they use different walking paths, links and end points and what they consider suitable for walking. This means our measured distance may not be the same as the route or distance shown on your phone.
Set point at a school
We use a set point at each school when measuring distance to ensure consistency. This may not be the school entrance, gate or the place where your child normally enters the school.
Children who live at more than one home
School transport is provided to and from one home address only.
Where parents are separated, the address of the parent who receives Child Benefit will normally be used for school enrolment and transport. If Child Benefit is not received, the primary contact on the child's education record will be used.
If care is shared equally between two parents, we may ask for evidence, such as a legal agreement and you may be able to choose which catchment home address is used.
Transport is not provided to and from several addresses, such as the homes of both parents, childminders or other relatives.
Moving home
Tell us if you move home. If transport is already in place, we will review it using your new address to see if your child is still eligible.
If the new address creates an additional cost or changes how the journey can be arranged, your existing transport may be changed, stopped or replaced with another suitable option.
Suitability of a route
Walking routes are assessed by experienced officers from our Road Safety Team who walk the route on a school day at the time pupils would normally be travelling to or from school.
They record the features of the route and use our walking route criteria to reach a decision.
They look at the route and features that affect walking including:
- pavements, footpaths and roadside space
- road crossings
- lighting and visibility
- traffic - amount, speed, and type
Pavements, footpaths and roadside space
A walking route does not always need a pavement for the whole journey to be considered suitable.
- On roads with heavy traffic, there would normally need to be a continuous and suitable public footway or roadside strip.
- On roads with normal traffic, there would normally need to be a continuous and suitable public footway or roadside strip.
- On roads with light traffic, a route may be suitable if there are safe places to step off the road, there is enough visibility for approaching traffic to be seen in good time. We consider the width of the road, visibility, traffic speed, the amount of traffic and the type of vehicles using the road.
Road crossings
A walking route does not need a zebra crossing or traffic lights every time a road has to be crossed to be considered suitable.
Other suitable opportunity to cross include:
- a zebra or signal-controlled pedestrian crossing
- a pedestrian phase at traffic lights
- a pedestrian refuge or island
- traffic calming that allows the road to be crossed safely
- enough safe gaps in the traffic, with good enough visibility to cross
Lighting
A walking route does not need street lighting along every part of the journey to be considered suitable.
We assume pupils will wear suitable clothing and footwear and will be accompanied by a parent, carer or another responsible adult where this is appropriate.
Maintenance
If your route requires maintenance such as overgrown vegetation; damage to the path or an obstruction contact us.
Additional needs
The assessment is about the route, not the individual child walking it.
Each child is assessed individually. We can consider their health, mobility, safety, wellbeing and ability to travel.
We may also look at relevant support plans, such as an Individual Education Plan, Coordinated Support Plan or Midlothian Learner's Plan.
Parents, carers, school staff and other professionals who know the child may be asked to provide information to help us understand the child's travel needs.
We will decide the most suitable transport option after considering the child's assessed needs and the transport options available.