Transport Escort Service Leaflet
Information for Parents and Carers
Our Home to School Transport Service is committed to providing a high quality service. Our Transport staff will work with schools, parents and carers to determine the needs of children.
All our customers should expect to see our organisation’s values of Openness, Respect, Reflection, Responsibility, Excellence and Equality reflected in everything that we do.
What can you expect from our Home to School Transport Escort Service?
Our escorts play a vital role in ensuring children and young people with a special educational need have a safe and pleasant journey to and from school each day. If your child travels on an Education Authority vehicle with an escort here’s what to expect.
Our Escorts will
- Help pupils to board the vehicle and ensure they are securely fastened in their seat.
- Assist the driver when using the tail lift.
- Safely store any bags or other equipment/ belongings.
- Ensure the pupil is handed over to the care of their school. Handover arrangements at schools vary but typically our escorts do not escort children into the school building.
- Unless working on a 1:1 basis, escorts normally sit at the back of the vehicle with their seatbelt securely fastened so that they have a good view of all pupils. Sometimes however they may need to move around the vehicle to assist pupils.
- Escorts and drivers are expected to walk to the back of their vehicle and check each seat to ensure all pupils have disembarked and no belongings have been left behind.
- Contact the parent and/or school in the case of an emergency and dial 999 if they need the police, ambulance or fire service.
Our Escorts are not required to
- Administer medication. There may be certain situations where escorts can be trained to administer medication per a pupil’s&;care plan, however this cannot be guaranteed and can be discussed with your local transport office.
- Come to the door to collect children, they must remain on the vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn’t the escort knock my door?
Escorts are not permitted to leave the vehicle to knock the door/ ring the doorbell and drivers should not sound the horn. The vehicle will arrive to collect pupils at a scheduled time and will wait up to 2 minutes.
Why does the escort sit at the back of the vehicle behind the children?
We advise escorts to sit at the rear of the vehicle so that they have a good view of all the pupils on the vehicle. They may though use their discretion.
Who assists my child onto the vehicle and ensures they are securely fastened?
Pupils in wheelchairs are boarded via the tail lift. Either the driver or escort will stand on the lift with the pupil and support the wheelchair while boarding. Once the pupil is positioned the escort will assist the driver in securing the wheelchair by fitting the recommended safety restraints.
Where practical all ambulant pupils should enter the bus at the main entrance point. The escort will guide the pupil and settle them in their seat on the vehicle and ensure appropriate safety restraints are properly fitted. Pupils must wear their seat belts by law and it is the role of escorts to ensure that pupils wear their seat belts.
How will I be contacted in the case of an emergency?
At the start of the pupil’s transport provision the escort will ask parents for their contact number in case of an emergency and keep these available securely on the vehicle with the driver’s schedule.
The escort will have access to confidential information about my child, will this be shared with anyone else?
In no circumstances will confidential information trusted to the driver or escort be passed on to a person who is not a member of the school staff or an appropriate Officer of the Education Authority.
What happens if my child becomes distressed on the vehicle?
If a pupil becomes distressed on the vehicle, the driver will stop the vehicle in a safe location. The escort and if required, assisted by the driver will comfort and reassure the pupil. If an incident arises where a pupil cannot be comforted or calmed, the driver or escort may contact the parents to meet the vehicle and collect the pupil.
Will the escort change my child’s soiled clothes or nappy?
If a pupil is sick on the bus or soils their clothes, the driver and escort will stop the bus in a safe location. They will wipe the pupil down and clean the area but they are not permitted to change pupils clothing or nappies.
Will the escort administer medication to my child on the bus if they require it?
Escorts are not permitted to administer medication to pupils unless they are trained and written into the particular pupils care plan. It is not a requirement of an escort to be written into care plans and is a personal choice of the escort.
What happens if my child becomes unwell on the vehicle?
If a pupil becomes unwell or has a seizure/fit on the vehicle, the driver or escort will dial 999 for medical assistance or bring the pupil to the hospital if it is within a close distance. The pupil’s parents will be contacted via the emergency number previously provided to the escort.
What happens if my child requires the use of oxygen?
A risk assessment will be carried out to determine whether the pupil’s needs can safely be met on home to school transport. Your local transport office will discuss this matter with you directly.
What if no one is at home when my child is brought home?
If the vehicle arrives at the pupil’s home in the afternoon earlier than the scheduled time, the vehicle will wait until the normal drop off time. If the parent is not at home at the scheduled time the vehicle will continue on the run so the journey for the other pupils is not disrupted. The vehicle will return to the home concerned when the run has been completed. Drivers and escorts will remain with the pupil until a place of safety has been arranged.
Do escorts have an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate (Access NI)? All escorts are required to have an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate (Access NI) carried out in line with current Department of Education guidance and the Education Authority’s Policy.
All escorts are required to have an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate (Access NI) carried out in line with current Department of Education guidance and the Education Authority’s Policy.
Contact Details
If you require any further information on our Home to School Transport Service see the Frequently Asked Questions on our website.
Website: Home to School Transport