Apply for free school transport

Nearest qualifying schools

Nearest qualifying schools are the schools nearest to your child’s home address which suits their age and meets their needs.

Their needs might include:

  • ability: some children may go to a grammar school if they have sat the Medway Test (11+) or had the school work reviewed and are of a grammar level
  • faith: we will count a faith school as a child’s nearest qualifying school if they are a regularly practising member of a church with the same faith as the school
  • medical needs: children with physical disabilities or special educational needs who need schools with special facilities.

A parent’s preference for a single sex, mixed school or a school which teaches certain subjects cannot be taken into account.

Once an application has been assessed, we can tell parents which school is considered as the nearest qualifying school to their home for travel purposes.

If parents express a preference for a school which is not the nearest qualifying school and are offered a place, the pupil does not qualify for free transport even if the school is more than the 2 or 3 mile statutory walking distance.

Check nearest qualifying school

You can find out the nearest qualifying schools for home to school transport.

Our nearest qualifying schools form is for those transferring to secondary school in September 2025 only. Anyone else who wishes to apply for transport should complete our online travel assistance form.

To use this service, you will need to provide the following details:

  • child’s name, date of birth and address
  • your name and contact details
  • your relationship to the child.

Check nearest qualifying schools

Qualifying schools

We will tell you the names of the 3 nearest grammar and non-grammar schools.

The distances we give are only an indication of the home to school distance. This may not be the final distance used for home to school transport purposes.

The minimum statutory walking distances will also still apply. This means you are not guaranteed home to school transport if your child attends any of the schools listed.