Ms Aoife Carragher:

Every year without fail we get complaints about the school transport system. There is an absolute rigidity to it. The narrative is that we must treat everyone the same, but that does not mean we treat everyone fairly. Some children need special concession. We need additional support especially for children with special educational needs. We find it very difficult at times to get them to understand the need for a child-centred approach and that sometimes there is a need to be flexible around the edges. That will not break the system. That is one of our key challenges. We have engaged significantly with the school transport section, mostly on clear administrative issues about being transparent in decision-making in terms of the appeals board and suchlike. We cannot underestimate how important school transport is for families. It affects their whole daily lives. Sometimes we wonder if that has got lost in the tick-box system of ticket allocation. School transport is very significant for families.