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Date of Screening:
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Directorate: Delivery
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Section: Customer
Experience
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1. Activity to
be assessed
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Transport Policies
for:
Bracknell Forest Children
aged 5 -16 annual publication.
Post 16 – Education
Transport Policy annual publication.
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2. What is the
activity?
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Policy/strategy
Function/procedure
Project
Review Service Organisational
change
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3. Is it a new
or existing activity?
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New Existing
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4. Officer
responsible for the screening
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Matt Howlett
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5. Who are the
members of the screening team?
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Debra Hayes, Sarah Matthews
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6. What is the
purpose of the activity?
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To annually publish the Council’s
Education Transport policies
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7. Who is the
activity designed to benefit/target?
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Eligible learners within BFC as per current
Education Transport policies which are reviewed annually.
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Protected
Characteristics
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Please tick
yes or no
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Is there an impact?
What kind of equality impact may
there be? Is the impact positive or adverse or is there a potential
for both?
If the impact is neutral please
give a reason.
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What evidence do you
have to support this?
E.g. equality monitoring data, consultation
results, customer satisfaction information etc
Please add a narrative to justify
your claims around impacts and describe the analysis and
interpretation of evidence to support your conclusion as this will
inform members decision making, include consultation
results/satisfaction information/equality monitoring
data
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8. Disability Equality – this can include
physical, mental health, learning or sensory disabilities and
includes conditions such as dementia as well as hearing or sight
impairment.
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Y
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Some learners may
be eligible for education transport assistance due to a
disability.
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Some types of
disability will automatically grant eligibility for learners to be
in receipt of education transport assistance.
This can be
statutory (ages 5-16) or discretionary (Post 16)
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9. Racial
equality
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N
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No impact – Race does not
affect eligibility for
transport.
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10. Gender
equality
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N
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No impact – Gender does not
affect eligibility for
transport.
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11. Sexual
orientation equality
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N
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No impact – Sexual
Orientation does not affect eligibility for transport.
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12. Gender
re-assignment
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N
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No impact
–Gender reassignment does not affect eligibility for
transport.
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13. Age
equality
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Y
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Eligibility for statutory
transport for children of compulsory school age only.
Discretionary transport accounts
for Post 16 learners up to the age of 25 if they have an
EHCP.
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Transport assistance may be
statutory for eligible learners aged 5-16 or discretionary for Post
16 learners up to the age of 25 with an EHCP.
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14. Religion and
belief equality
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Y
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It is not BFC policy to provide
transport assistance to learners who do not attend their nearest DA
school due to “parental preference”.
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Learners being placed in
faith schools that are not their nearest DA school are considered
“parental preference”
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15. Pregnancy and
maternity equality
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N
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No impact – Pregnancy or
maternity does not affect eligibility for transport.
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16. Marriage and
civil partnership equality
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N
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17. Please give
details of any other potential impacts on any other group (e.g.
those on lower incomes/carers/ex-offenders, armed forces
communities) and on promoting good community
relations.
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Low income families have different
eligibility criteria when the eligibility is assessed on the
distance from home to the school.
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18. If an adverse/negative impact has been identified
can it be justified on grounds of promoting equality of opportunity
for one group or for any other reason?
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BFC follows DfE statutory guidance
with regard to Post 16 education transport; therefore Post 16
learners without an EHCP or disability are not automatically
eligible for transport assistance.
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19. If there is
any difference in the impact of the activity when considered for
each of the equality groups listed in 8 – 14 above; how
significant is the difference in terms of its nature and the number
of people likely to be affected?
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Currently, approximately 300 learners with
various physical or learning disabilities are in receipt of
transport assistance.
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20. Could the
impact constitute unlawful discrimination in relation to any of the
Equality Duties?
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N
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21. What
further information or data is required to better understand the
impact? Where and how can that information be obtained?
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The DfE have two published
documents containing statutory guidance for LAs:
Home to school travel guidance
– July 2014
Post 16 transport and travel
support to education and training – January 2019
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22. On the
basis of sections 7 – 17 above is a full impact assessment
required?
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N
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There are no significant changes
to the policy this year.
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23. If a full impact assessment is not
required; what actions will you take to reduce or remove any
potential differential/adverse impact, to further promote equality
of opportunity through this activity or to obtain further
information or data? Please complete the action plan in
full, adding more rows as needed.
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Action
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Timescale
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Person
Responsible
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Milestone/Success
Criteria
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24. Which
service, business or work plan will these actions be included
in?
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Delivery
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25. Please list the
current actions undertaken to advance equality or examples of good
practice identified as part of the screening?
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The DfE does give LAs powers of discretion and our policies are not
“blanket” policies. Eligibility for transport is needs
based with every application judged accordingly. DfE guidelines are
unlikely to change regarding eligibility and
disability.
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26. Assistant
Director signature.
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Signature:  Date:
10.11.2020
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