ITTU - Information for schools and learning establishments
Travel Training is available to anyone in your school, but it can be applied for and/or funded in a variety of ways.
The most straightforward way is to apply directly for travel training on behalf of any student who is in receipt of Local Authority funded transport.
Once the ITTU have received the referral, the ITTU will conduct a paper assessment to determine suitability before contacting the parent/carer of any individual who is deemed to be appropriate and book in an ‘initial assessment’ as part of a home visit.
For the initial assessment, two of our trainers will come and meet the trainee and their family, talk through the process and answer any questions. Then the trainers will conduct an initial assessment with the trainee, taking them for a walk around the local area to assess their road-safety skills, awareness of danger and existing knowledge of travelling independently.
The trainee will be asked a series of questions to find out where their strengths and weaknesses might be so that the trainer has a good idea of how to design the programme.
When the assessment is finished, the trainers will answer any further questions the trainee or their parent/carer may have before telling them there and then whether they will be considered for a training programme.
If it’s a yes, we will work on the programme and give the trainee a start date as soon as possible – including cancelling any existing local authority transport the individual may be using (if applicable) on their behalf.
If it’s a no on the day, it isn’t a no forever – the trainers will schedule a revisit in 6-12 months to see if the trainee might be ready for it then. During that time the ITTU will be available to answer any questions the trainee, parents/carer and school staff may have in preparation for the revisit.
Alternatively, if a member of staff feels one of their students (who are in receipt of LA funded transport) would benefit from a travel training programme, we encourage schools to get in contact to request a review of transport arrangements for their students. This can be done either though SEN, or by emailing travel_training@sandwell.gov.uk directly and asking the ITTU to look into the possibility.
The ITTU may be able to give an immediate answer and send through a referral form to be completed by the school/college/learning establishment, or may have to refer it through to SEN for them to look in to as part of the EHCP review process.
Additionally, where it might be the case that a school/college/learning establishment has a few students they feel may benefit, we encourage staff to contact the ITTU for a visit to be arranged so that trainers can talk about the process with school staff and students so that everyone can be clear on their options and possibilities.
The ITTU are also able to conduct initial assessments on school/college/learning establishment premises (where parental/carer permission has been agreed in advance) so you as a learning provider can be as involved in the process as you are able.
We also welcome referrals for individuals who don’t qualify for LA funded transport, but who would still benefit from a training programme.
There may be a variety of ways for this to be funded, but where it isn’t possible for funding to be agreed training can still be delivered at a cost of £30.00 per hour.
Please contact the ITTU on travel_training@sandwell.gov.uk to discuss this option, or for an informal chat about additional qualifying criteria and other ways your learning establishment can get involved.
We are proud to boast a 100% pass rate with our travel training programmes – this is something we ensure through careful and thorough assessment of each individual trainee and the tailoring of our programmes to each individual.
For more information, please see the following links –
Referral form - School age and young adult