Windsor and Maidenhead council caused mother 'serious distress' over education

The LGO said there was "no evidence" the girl should not have been in full-time education and so attending part-time was "unsatisfactory"

A council caused a mother "serious distress and anxiety" by failing to provide her daughter, who has special needs, with appropriate education for seven months.

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead will pay the mother £5,250 in compensation for the failures.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) said the council must review the case "at a senior level".

The council agreed to the LGO's recommendations.

In September 2020, the girl, who has autism and other complex needs, started at a mainstream school and was placed on a part-time timetable.

By March 2021, she stopped attending the school. Her mother said her daughter needed a specialist placement for a suitable education. That was supported by medical school reports.

Only by February this year did the council and mother agree that the girl would attend an independent placement that could meet her needs.

'Unsatisfactory'

The authority had maintained a mainstream school could meet her needs, despite one school telling officers it could not, until January.

The LGO said the girl missed out on full-time education between mid-March to mid-December 2021 - a total of seven months because of school holidays.

The girl's mother paid for ten weeks of part-time education through an alternative provider between April and July 2021, which the council funded from September 2021.

The LGO said there was "no evidence" the girl should not have been in full-time education and so attending part-time was "unsatisfactory".

They told the council to pay the mother £2,400 in compensation for the girl's lost education, another £2,100 for what she spent on alternative education, £500 for her "serious distress and anxiety" and £250 for her trouble in pursuing her complaint.

A council spokesperson said: "The council has accepted the findings and recommendations of the Ombudsman and we've already written to the parent to apologise, paid the compensation and will be reviewing this case to identify and make any necessary improvements."