What is SESTA#

Parents and caregivers are responsible for getting children to and from school each day.

We provide assistance to help children and young people with safety and/or mobility needs get to school. When a child or young person is eligible for SESTA, we either provide a place in a vehicle or a payment to contribute to their travel costs.

A place in a vehicle#

We fund local transport providers in most parts of the country to drive eligible children between home and their school.

When deciding whether to approve a place in a vehicle, we will consider:

• the safety of the student, other students, and driver on the service
• the length of time in a SESTA vehicle – journey times (1 way) should preferably be no longer than 40 minutes and must not exceed an hour
• the cost and availability of the service.

The service is for getting to and from school only. We will consider transport between multiple addresses and the student's school if:

• the student has respite or after school care arrangements
• the student has more than 1 home address because of shared custody.

Transport between home and an alternative address is the caregiver’s responsibility.

Allowance for travel costs#

If no place in a vehicle is available or we are not able to provide a service due to cost, caregivers may be able to get an allowance called the SESTA Conveyance Allowance. We pay this directly to the caregiver to contribute to the costs of getting the student to and from school.

Caregivers can also get this allowance if the student travels in one of our vehicles but we can't take them all the way between home and school.

Caregivers can request the SESTA Conveyance Allowance as an alternative to a place in a vehicle.

The amount caregivers are paid is based on the distance between their home and the student’s school. It is calculated at a rate of $0.27 per km, to a maximum of $20 per school day. The payment is based on 2 round trips a day (i.e. home–school–home in the morning, and home–school–home in the afternoon).

The maximum payment that caregivers can receive is $20 per school day, regardless of the number of SESTA students they have.

Who is eligible#

To be eligible for SESTA, a child or young person must:

• be between 5 and 21 years of age
• be enrolled at their nearest state or state-integrated school that meets their special education needs
• have mobility or safety needs that prevent them from travelling independently to school.

A safety need may be where a significant risk of harm or danger to the student, or to others, exists during the journey to and from school. This may be due to challenges such as:

• epilepsy
• communication and social skills
• understanding
• self-management
• decision-making.

A mobility need may be due to challenges such as:

• reduced mobility
• chronic fatigue
• medical conditions
• limited motor skills.

If a student is eligible for SESTA, they are not guaranteed a place in a vehicle as we will not always have a suitable service available. In this circumstance, the family can get the SESTA Conveyance Allowance.

We assess applications based on the needs of students. We do not consider family circumstances when assessing students eligibility or deciding what type of assistance to offer.

Who cannot get support from SESTA#

Students are not eligible for SESTA if they are:

• receiving ACC for a short period of time
• boarding at residential schools, and need transport to and from home for the weekend or holidays
• enrolled at a private school.

How to support families to apply for SESTA#

You can support families to apply for SESTA or make the application on their behalf.

Applications for new or amended services should be submitted at least 1 full school term before the service is required. If the availability of transport is going to affect enrolment decisions for a family, discuss this with your learning support coordinator or manager at your regional office.

Parents and caregivers: SESTA application – Pokapū Waka Kura

Schools: SESTA application

If the child's needs mean they could be a risk to themselves or others while in a vehicle, you will need to help the family to complete a Safe Travel Plan form. This plan outlines any measures to keep everyone safe while travelling.

Specialist equipment funding#

We provide funding for specialised equipment if a student needs it to travel safely to and from school. Schools can help caregivers to apply. This is separate to the SESTA application.

School responsibilities#

Caregivers, service providers, and the Ministry all have a role in ensuring SESTA services operate efficiently and meet the needs of students.

SESTA drivers cannot touch any student or leave the vehicle unattended. This means school staff must:

• be present to assist in the loading and unloading of students into or out of a SESTA vehicle
• assist students, where required, in and out of the vehicle and fasten their seat belt and any other personal positioning devices
• make sure that students have been toileted and are ready to be collected from the agreed pick-up point at the agreed time
• inform the driver, caregiver, transport service provider and us if there have been any changes or events that may impact on student behaviour.

Find more information on school responsibilities in the guide below.

If circumstances change#

If the student's enrolled school changes, the family need to re-apply for SESTA.

If the student’s attended site (i.e. satellite school), residential addresses or itinerary changes, you need to tell us. You can do this by completing a Change of Information Request via the Pokapū Waka Kura | School Transport Hub.

If a student’s circumstances change, we will reassess their eligibility for SESTA and the type of service offered to make sure that it is still within our guidelines (including cost limits). This may result in an offer of SESTA Conveyance Allowance instead of a place on a vehicle.

Pokapū Waka Kura | the School Transport Hub

For all other changes, including if a student no longer needs to use the service, you must tell us using the email address below.

Email: [email protected]

Request for a review of a decision#

A caregiver may want to request a review of a SESTA decision. A review might be needed if:

• they believe we have incorrectly assessed the student’s eligibility for SESTA
• the type of assistance we have offered (for example, Conveyance Allowance or a vehicle service) does not reflect the student’s needs
• the student has started their final year at school and is assessed as ineligible from a new residential address
• there are exceptional circumstances that were not considered during the initial application (for example, a student is living in emergency housing or has been affected by displacement or natural disaster)
• there is new information available that may alter the original assessment.

Caregivers need to complete the SESTA review request form below and send it to us.

Email: [email protected].