What a SEND passenger assistant does
You are the adult responsible for the children’s welfare on the journey, so the driver can concentrate on driving. A typical run involves:
- meeting each child at home and handing them over at school — and the reverse in the afternoon;
- helping children on and off the vehicle safely, and checking seatbelts, harnesses and wheelchair restraints are correctly fitted;
- keeping children calm, occupied and safe, and responding early when someone becomes distressed;
- communicating with children who may be non-verbal, using the approaches their family and school use;
- passing information between parents, carers and school staff; and
- noticing and reporting anything that worries you about a child’s safety or wellbeing.
Who employs passenger assistants
- Local authorities — school transport or travel assistance teams often employ passenger assistants directly.
- Transport operators — taxi, private hire and minibus companies holding home-to-school contracts with the council.
- Schools and academies that run their own transport.
- Community transport organisations.
Job titles vary. Search for passenger assistant, school transport escort, travel assistant and passenger transport assistant on your council’s jobs page, local operators’ websites and the government’s Find a job service.
The checks you will need
Driving or supervising children on dedicated school transport is regulated activity. The DfE statutory guidance says local authorities should ensure passenger assistants have an enhanced DBS check with a check of the children’s barred list. Your employer applies for it — you cannot request an enhanced check for yourself. Expect the usual pre-employment checks as well: references, right to work, and sometimes a health declaration.
The training employers expect
The local authority decides what training passenger assistants need, but the statutory guidance sets a minimum: safeguarding, handling emergencies, equality — recognising, supporting and communicating with children with disabilities — and the specific needs of the children travelling, such as managing behaviour or giving emergency medication. Some contracts name a specific scheme, such as PATS. Our requirements guide goes through it paragraph by paragraph.
Step by step
- Understand the role. Early starts, a gap in the middle of the day, and a lot of responsibility for children who may not be able to tell you what they need.
- Get ahead on the knowledge. Completing SEND transport training before you apply shows you understand safeguarding, SEND and behaviour support — and that you are serious about the work.
- Find vacancies through the council, local operators and Find a job.
- Apply and interview. Expect scenario questions (see below).
- Complete the checks — enhanced DBS, references and right to work.
- Induction. Your employer will brief you on their procedures and on the needs of the specific children on your route.
Interview questions to prepare for
- A child becomes distressed and starts hitting out during the journey. What do you do?
- A child tells you something that worries you about their home life. What happens next?
- Nobody is home to receive a child at drop-off. What do you do?
- How would you communicate with a child who does not use speech?
- What would you do if you had a concern about the driver’s conduct?
Good answers are calm, put the child’s safety first, follow a procedure and end with recording and reporting. Distress, disclosure, handover, communication and concerns about a colleague are all covered in the Professional Certificate in SEND Passenger Transport.
Stand out with a verifiable certificate
Our programme is ten online modules and a final assessment — about 25 hours, at your own pace, on your phone if you like. Pass and you receive a dated certificate with a unique verification ID that an employer can check. It is CPD Certified by The CPD Certification Service. It will not guarantee you a job, and your employer may still ask you to complete their own training, but it means you walk into the interview already knowing the answers.