To ask the Minister of Education to outline any long-term strategy he is developing to ensure sustainable special educational needs transport provision.

I recognise that there is a need for improvement in transport provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN). In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the number of children with statements of SEN who need specialist school placements. Consequently, the number of pupils requiring bespoke transport arrangements has increased which has placed additional pressure on the school transport network and led to higher associated costs. Currently, the EA provides transport assistance to over 13,000 pupils with additional SEN transport requirements.

Home to school transport can only be arranged once a school placement has been confirmed. Ongoing work within my Department to improve the statementing and annual review processes is anticipated to support earlier confirmation of school placements. This will enable the EA to plan and coordinate its SEN transport services with greater efficiency, contributing significantly to overall sustainability.

The distance that children travel to school is also a key factor in the sustainability of school transport provision. I am committed to enabling children with SEN to attend school as close to home as possible, however, this is dependent on placements being available locally. My Department and the EA have a shared vision that, in time, every school in Northern Ireland will be able to offer specialist provisions, allowing all children to attend school close to home.

In addition, I have allocated funding to the EA to support the expansion of a pilot project introducing smaller, 7-seater vehicles to its fleet to enhance flexibility in the provision of SEN transport. The findings from this pilot will inform future considerations on the delivery of SEN transport services. Furthermore, I have instructed my officials to collaborate closely with the EA in developing proposals aimed at ensuring a sustainable approach to SEN transport delivery, thereby ensuring that home to school transport can continue to be provided for pupils who need it to enable them to attend school.