A new scheme to help young people to become independent and confident on their daily journey to school is up and running in Cardiff.
Cardiff Council is piloting a new project for the Welsh Assembly Government that seeks to assist young people with Special Educational Needs in travelling independently on public transport throughout the city.
The project, the Independent Travel Training Scheme, will help young people who need extra assistance and support and provide them with the necessary skills and confidence to travel independently to and from school.
There are currently 740 young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Cardiff who receive transport to and from school in the form of taxis or minibuses.
The pilot scheme will initially work with secondary school pupils aged between 14 and 19 who currently receive free transport to school and deliver travel training on a one-to-one basis tailored to an individual’s needs and abilities.
Young people, who have been identified by schools as capable of reaching independence with training and support, will work with teaching assistants and travel trainers to learn about all aspects of planning and preparing for a journey from time management to timetable reading, how to flag a bus and pay for a fare, to improving confidence and communication skills.
The training also includes an element of road and pedestrian safety awareness for the young people while drivers at Cardiff Bus will be made aware of the scheme through a number of open days and surgeries at their Wood Street offices.
The initial stage of one-to-one training involves the travel trainer accompanying each pupil to and from school from their home to the school gates and back again. Cardiff Bus has provided all of the scheme’s travel trainers with annual bus tickets to allow them to accompany pupils to and from school.
Once a pupil becomes more confident and capable, the second stage involves the travel trainer shadowing the pupil’s journey from afar in order to assess their skill level and capabilities – crossing the roads at certain points, the green cross code, getting on and off the bus and communicating with the bus driver. The third stage of the training involves the travel trainer meeting the pupil at their home address in the morning to ensure they feel safe and confident to travel the route before the pupil is then left to independently travel the entire route to school and will be met at the school gates before entering school.
Once a young person has reached independence, they are provided with a free annual bus pass plus any additional safety accessories required and the private transport they had previously used is stopped. A monitoring and after-care service for the pupil and family will help to ensure that confidence and safety is sustained while travelling independently.
Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway, said: “The use of private transport can be a real barrier to young people accessing further education and the workplace due to their lack of road safety awareness and knowledge of how to travel by public transport.
“The new Independent Travel Training Scheme will potentially change the lives of many young people by preparing them for the transition into adult life. By giving these young people the opportunity to be independent, we can boost their self-esteem, personal development, and wellbeing.
“I’m delighted that Cardiff is leading the way in piloting this scheme which will provide invaluable life skills to young people right across the city.”
Jack Richardson is one of the first pupils in Cardiff to take part in the scheme and is reaping the benefits. The 16-year-old is in Year 11 at Llanishen High School and is about to progress to the final ‘meet and greet’ stage of the initiative.
Jack said: “I feel great on the bus because the bus driver is nice to me. I feel great because I can travel on my own and go anywhere I want”.
Jack’s mother, Lisa Richardson, said: “The scheme has done wonders for Jack’s confidence and I would recommend it to all parents.”
Lyn Postans, head of the special unit at Llanishen High School, said: “The practical experience of the Independent Travel Training Scheme has been an invaluable teaching tool for all areas of the curriculum including maths skills, geography skills and in the ASDAN (Awards Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) lessons”.
