Northumberland County Council provides free student travel. This is available to full time students attending High School Sixth Forms and Further Education and Specialist Colleges. Students are issued with a travel pass which allows them to make a return journey to and from home to school/college during weekdays and term time only. Passes only cover travel at the start and end of the main school/college day and do not include access to extended services or extra-curricular activities such as after-school clubs and sports activities.

Northumberland County Council provides transport in the most cost effective manner related to a student's journey. A travel pass for bus services will normally be issued, however taxis, trains or parental/student's own vehicles may be considered if they are the cheapest available option. The decision on the transport allocation rests with the County Council. Students are expected to make their own way to the nearest main pick up point but feeder transport may be provided where necessary (ie, to take you to the pick up point).

To qualify you must a) live in Northumberland, b) be attending a full-time course of study (that is a minimum of 16 hours per week or 450 guided learning hours per year), c) live three miles or more from your nearest high school or college and d) be under the age of 19 on 31 August before the start of the academic year (unless you have special education needs). Northumberland County Council may not help with travel costs if a similar (not necessarily identical) course is available at a school/college which is closer to your home than the one you would like to attend.

A travel pass for bus services will normally be issued, however taxis, trains or parent/student's own vehicles may be considered if they are the cheapest available option. The decision on your transport needs rests with Northumberland County Council. You can apply for a travel application form by writing to The Post 16 Transport Office, Integrated Transport Unit, Community and Environmental Services Directorate, Northumberland County Council, County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 2EF tel 0845 600 6400 or by visiting www.northumberland.gov.uk and following the link to Post 16 transport.

You can apply for transport provision for the year between June and October half term. Students are strongly advised to return their forms as soon as possible to ensure that they are processed before the beginning of the academic year. They may be submitted before exam results are known, however forms will not be considered without an official stamp from the place of study proving enrolment. The place of study could be a school 6th form, 6th form college, FE college or a learning provider offering training opportunities.

It is not uncommon for young people to change their minds about what they want to learn, or for other details to change eg, moving house. If there is a change to any of the information on the application form then you should contact the Integrated Transport Unit at County Hall on 0845 600 6400 as soon as possible.

A student with special educational needs who finds they cannot access public transport can be provided with free transport. However, this can only occur if they have a specific transport requirement which is specified in the Statement of Special Educational Need and is supported by a referral from your Connexions Personal Adviser. Speak with your PA for further information.

Travelinenortheast is probably the most useful source of information on all forms of public transport in our area. Through traveline you can check bus times, plan a journey, or start just be finding out if there is public transport available to the place you want to go. You can find all this out through the traveline website or call 0871 200 2233 to speak to an adviser.

If you have learning difficulties and/or a disability and the course that is right for you is too far away you may be eligible for specialist provision - living at the college and receiving financial support from Northumberland County Council. However, you must check the criteria very carefully. Your Connexions PA will be supporting you through this process from Year 9 using a document called Moving Forward. You can look at this in the Additional Needs section. If you do not have additional needs and the course you want to do is too far away to travel then the chances are you will need to find a course that is closer to home, unless you are willing to pay for the course privately.

For further information about the travel scheme, or to request an application form, please contact the Integrated Transport Unit on 0845 600 6400.

You may qualify for a diabled person's bus pass if you have a disability. Download the form here to see if you qualify.