Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to specialist SEND schools and colleges on (a) powers and responsibilities to manage traffic on public highways during pupil drop-off and collection times and (b) coordinat
Answer
Local authorities are responsible for managing traffic on their roads, including around schools and colleges, as they are best placed to determine appropriate measures for their local area. The Department for Transport and Active Travel England have published guidance to support local authorities in setting up and managing school streets, including measures to manage traffic at school drop-off and collection times. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-streets-how-to-set-up-and-manage-a-scheme . Local authorities must publish a sustainable modes of travel strategy which aims to provide health benefits for children and their families through active journeys and environmental improvements through reduced congestion and improved air quality. The department’s statutory guidance for local authorities can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel .
Verdict: RED (22/100)
The reply partly answers the first part of the question. It points to named Department for Transport and Active Travel England guidance on managing traffic at school drop-off and collection times, but it does not address guidance for specialist SEND schools and colleges on their own powers, and it shifts the focus to local authorities and mainstream school streets. The second part, about coordination, is not answered at all, and the reply does not mention it. Because the question was partly unclear and a key element is missing, the person asking would likely need to submit a follow-up.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What guidance the Department provides to specialist SEND schools and colleges on their powers and responsibilities to manage traffic on public highways during pupil drop-off and collection times. | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply names a concrete guidance document (DfT and Active Travel England school streets guidance, with a link) covering traffic management at drop-off and collection times, and states that local authorities hold traffic-management responsibility. However, it never addresses guidance to specialist SEND schools and colleges on their own powers and responsibilities, and it shifts the focus to local authorities and mainstream school streets. |
| What guidance the Department provides to specialist SEND schools and colleges on coordination (the question text is truncated, so the subject of the coordination is not visible). | Not Addressed | Generic | The question text is truncated and the subject of the coordination is unclear, and no answer statement mentions coordination, guidance to SEND schools on coordination, or any related arrangement. The home-to-school travel guidance link (statement 5) is only loosely related and does not answer the item. |