Girl and mum awarded £14k over education failures

The girl - not pictured - missed out on a suitable education for more than two years

A council that did not provide a girl who has special educational needs with suitable schooling for two years will pay her and her mother £14,300 in compensation.

Dorset Council was found to have caused the girl “upset and worry” over the handling of her case between March 2022 and April 2024.

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) said the authority should pay £14,000 based on six terms of education lost and £300 to "reflect the upset, uncertainty and frustration” caused by its failures.

The council said it "accepted responsibility for what went wrong" and was "committed to addressing failures and omissions identified".

Paul Dempsey, the council's executive director for children’s services, said most of the actions the LGO had told it to take have already been completed.

He said the council had "clear plans in place to deliver those remaining actions".

"Earlier this year, our Local Area SEND inspection provided positive and valuable feedback. While we were encouraged by this outcome, we also appreciated the recommendations that will help us improve even further," he said.

"Dorset Council remains committed to making continuous improvements for the benefit of our families, and ensuring situations like this remain rare.

"We are always striving to ensure that every child in Dorset receives the education and childhood they deserve."