The father of a boy with autism is calling on Kent County Council to review its school transport policy as his son is being left to travel up to two hours one-way to access education.

Ken Davies’ 13-year-old son attends specialist school The Beacon in Folkestone.

His school day finishes at 3pm, yet he isn’t getting home to Ethlebert Road in Deal until 4.45pm.

The transport provided by the authority is a minibus which at times has been transporting up to 13 children at once.

The multiple pick-ups and drop-offs for each child are adding considerable time to the 18-mile journey, which usually takes just 30 minutes in a car.

Mr Davies feels this is not taking into consideration the welfare of his son, who we are not naming. He is now urging them to take action.

“I’m looking for KCC to realise these children are children and not just numbers,” he said.

“Not only that, these are vulnerable children and it’s putting a lot of pressure on families.

“My boy used to travel via taxi but now they’re trying to get more and more children on to one mode of transport.

“KCC are penny-pinching and they’re not taking the welfare of the child into consideration.”

The authority’s guidelines say a child of primary-school age may have to travel 45 minutes to a school, and a child at secondary school could travel for up to one hour and 15 minutes.

Mr Davies, a mechanic at M&D Repairs, says his son is frustrated when he arrives home from school. He also suffers with stress and anxiety.

He added: “It’s a long time to be on a bus. Children with autism are set in their ways.”

He has already met Deal town councillor Mike Eddy to find help in raising the issue with KCC, and is looking for other parents to come forward.

He said: “At the end of the day, I just want the best for my child and if it’s helping others too then that’s brilliant.

“I’m hoping a lot of people will come forward.”

Cllr Michael Eddy said: “It is tragic that children with autism have to travel out of this district for appropriate education. This places a severe strain on young people that find it difficult to cope under the best of circumstances, and that puts an even greater burden on the parents and other family members.

“Kent County Council’s Conservative administration needs to get on with providing appropriate facilities in Dover District.

“KCC also needs to tackle the issue of how it gets vulnerable children to the right school at the right time and how it gets them back to the safety of home in good time.

“At the moment, vulnerable children are at the mercy of the market because KCC relies exclusively on private sector providers. But the private sector can pick and choose the business it takes on. And the private sector can go bust or sell up so the owner can retire to sunny climes. The families of our most vulnerable children don’t have the luxury of retiring from caring.

“I would hope that the two MPs for this area might get on to their fellow Conservatives at County Hall to get proper facilities locally and to tackle the problem of travel times.”

KCC was approached for a comment but had not issued a response at the time The Mercury went to press.

If you’re experiencing a similar issue and would like to speak to Ken, email him at castoralken@freeolamail.com