Fewer pupils are walking to school - more are being driven

Proposals from the government could allow councils to make means-tested charges for school transport.

But if they continue offering free buses for faith schools, this could be ruled as discriminatory, says the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

They would need to offer pupils in non-faith schools the same subisidies.

The proposals for school transport, which are still under discussion, would allow councils to introduce charges for pupils living more than three miles away from their school - who currently are offered free transport.

School run

The draft bill has been in response to concerns over the increase in pupils travelling by car to school - more than doubling in the past 20 years.

Under the plans, transport would remain free or "low cost" for poorer families - but other families could be expected to make a contribution.

The argument is that at present, a family living 2.9 miles away might have to pay the full cost of transport, regardless of income - while a family living three miles away will have free transport.

But if councils adopted transport charges for pupils living more than three miles away, the parliamentary committee says that exempting faith schools from these charges could be challenged under human rights legislation.

There have already been councils which have withdrawn such discretionary subsidies for families sending their pupils to a faith school.

And the Joint Committee on Human Rights said on Wednesday that if the draft transport proposals were adopted, local authorities which only gave subsidies to faith schools could be accused of discrimination.

The committee says the government should warn councils of this risk.

But another parliamentary committee, the House of Commons education select committee, has criticised the government's school transport proposals as "confused".

And it suggested that taking away transport subsidies was at odds with plans to enable parents to choose from a wider range of schools.

While the transport plans send a message that pupils should go to local schools, the wider message from the government has been that parents should have more school choice and a more diverse range of options - which could take pupils further afield.