Council pays £7,250 after child misses year of school

The child was meant to start Year 8 but went a year without education

A council has been ordered to pay a family £7,250 after a boy with additional needs missed school for a year.

The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman found North Northamptonshire Council failed to offer the student a specialist school place or interim tuition.

Its report said the child moved to the area in September 2022 but did not receive any schooling until June 2023.

The council apologised and said there was now provision in place.

When the family moved, North Northamptonshire Council was in charge of taking on his education and finding him a new school place under its Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Guidance states that when a young person moves to another local authority, it must make sure the EHCP provision begins within 15 working days of becoming aware of the move, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

His parents complained to the council in January 2023 - five months after they relocated - that their son had still not been given a school place.

Later that year, in June, the council issued the pupil's final EHCP which named an independent special school for his placement, starting in September.

The council apologised for the delay and agreed that it had taken too long to secure provision for the child.

'A year out of education'

It added that tutoring was offered for the child to cover the months he spent out of education but was declined by the family.

The father told the ombudsman that tutoring was mentioned only once by the council, with no detailed written offer.

He said he told the council he didn't think tutoring would work, but it could try it. However, tutoring was not mentioned again.

The ombudsman said in the report that had the council made "a firm offer of tuition in writing", the ombudsman expected the family would have accepted it.

"The fault caused [the child] to be out of education for a year," it said.

The council must pay the family £7,250 because there was no firm offer of any provision or placement, and due to the "avoidable distress" caused to the family.

North Northamptonshire Council has been contacted for comment.