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Written question asked by Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Paul Waugh (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Walking: Children

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review the use by local authorities of Road Safety GB’s Assessment of Walked Routes to Schools Guidelines when determining eligibility for free home-to-school travel.

Answer

Local authorities are responsible for assessing route safety to determine whether a child is eligible for free home to school travel. This includes deciding how they will assess route safety.

Some authorities use the Assessment of Walked Routes to Schools guidelines published by Road Safety GB. These provide advice to local authorities on assessing the risk posed to pedestrians by traffic. Our statutory guidance for local authorities is clear that the guidelines can form the basis from which to develop a route safety assessment, but they are not a complete assessment on their own. Further details on the guidance are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel.

Local authorities will need to consider the whole of the route including any sections that use footpaths or bridleways, as well as sections that use roads.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
24863
Session
2026-27
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Children Schools Walking
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk