Council to compensate family £11,000 for teenager’s missed schooling

A family will be compensated with over £11,000 following a council’s failure to deliver educational provisions for their teenage daughter for nearly two years. West Northamptonshire Council was deemed responsible for the absence of educational provision between April 2022 and January 2024. The local authority acknowledged a 39-week delay in finalizing an education health and care plan (EHCP), attributing it to staffing shortages. A spokesperson for the council stated that it “accepted the findings and [we] have sent a written apology to the family for the avoidable distress and frustration caused by the delay”. The mother of the teenager informed the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman that her daughter had been unable to attend school starting in June 2021. Her school attendance had already decreased, and her anxiety intensified “following limits imposed by Covid-19”. In April 2022, she requested the council to finalize an EHCP, and although the local authority consented to do so by June 2022, a definitive plan was not issued until June 2023. The ombudsman’s report indicated that the council recommended a school which proved to be “unsuitable,” leading her mother to lodge a complaint with the special education needs and disabilities tribunal. A subsequent EHCP was issued by the council in November 2023, designating a new school for her to commence attendance in January 2024. The ombudsman clarified that its investigation focused solely on events from April 2022 onwards, as this marked the family’s initial contact with the local authority. The report stated: “[The pupil] has the injustice of a loss of education from April 2022 in almost two key years of her school life.” It further noted: “It has also had a knock-on effect on her emotional and social development and general wellbeing.” Additionally, it mentioned: “[Her mother] and her family have had the time, trouble, and cost in missed work to support [their daughter].” The local authority received an order to disburse £11,150 in compensation for the educational deprivation, encompassing a “symbolic” sum for the protracted EHCP procedure. The council indicated its commitment to enhancing its timelines for EHCP completion and resolving delays in conducting educational psychology assessments.