CHILDREN with special needs should make their own way to school according to a controversial new document produced by EduAction.

The private company has been in charge of education in the borough since September 2001, and now plans to end automatic entitlement to free travel via a bespoke bus service for children with special educational needs.

From now on, unless parents can prove that their children cannot travel independently, EduAction proposes that they should either walk, travel on public transport or be driven to school.

In what it admits is a proposal to "make the best possible use of available resources", the company proposes that children with special needs should no longer be treated any differently from "non-statemented" pupils.

Pupils will undergo an "annual review" which will assess their needs and decide whether they should be entitled to transport.

The proposal is bound to provoke a furious reaction from parents and teachers.

Life Long Learning Scrutiny Committee member and father of a severely autistic child, Mark Speed, says that he believes the company's action is unlawful and will be challenged in the courts.

He said: "I think EduAction are on dodgy legal ground here. It has a statutory duty to provide transport to take children with special educational needs to school.

"This could end up being one of thosse situations where in a bid to spend less money it actually ends up spending even more on court appearances and that kind of thing.

"Children with special educational needs can't travel to school independently and they face all kinds of risks if they do.

"Parents often simply don't have the time to drive them.

"EduAction is using bullying tactics by putting forward this proposal. I fear that the people who will be worst hit will be those, often most in need, who don't know how to stand up for themselves."

EduAction says that transport will be provided for children who cannot travel independently to school and as such it believed that the law is on its side. It denied that this was a form of means testing children's transport entitlements.

A spokesman said: "There is no intention to means test parents and legal advice has been sought on all aspects of the changes. No pupils in need will be disqualified from transport rights."