Mother awarded £9,400 over education battle for son

Slough Borough Council caused "distress, frustration and anxiety", the ombudsman said

A council has been ordered to pay a mother £9,400 after her autistic son was deprived of education for more than a year.

Slough Borough Council failed to find alternatives when a school refused to take him, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) said.

The mother suffered "distress, frustration and uncertainty" as she battled with the authority for 15 months, the LGO reported.

The council has been approached for comment.

The boy was due to move from primary to secondary school in September 2022.

The council formally nominated a school despite its prior refusal to accept him, the LGO found.

After the start of term, the mother contacted the council repeatedly but it did not respond for several months.

In June 2023, the boy started to receive home tuition as an interim measure, the report said.

However, the council failed to meet the boy's needs in full up to December 2023, did not review his case, handled the mother's complaints poorly and kept poor records, the ombudsman concluded.

The mother also claimed the council told her it would "help her" if she withdrew her complaint.

The authority offered to pay £5,000 but the ombudsman increased the award to close to its recommended maximum.

The report said: "[The boy] has missed out on a considerable period of education and provision he was entitled to.

"Delays... caused injustice with avoidable frustration and additional time and trouble for [the mother] having to continually pursue it."

The ombudsman ordered the council to review its procedures and to report back within three months.