Council ordered to pay mother £5,550 after her child was not in school for months

Tower Hamlets Council has been ordered to pay a mother £5,550 for failures relating to her child’s special educational needs.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the council failed to arrange suitable education for the child for around two terms. It also said the council was responsible for “poor communication” with the child’s mother. It said these failures caused the child and their mother “avoidable distress” as well as “frustration” and “uncertainty”.

The child, named as “Child Y” in the ombudsman’s report, was supposed to receive online education at home, along with other support including exercise, specialist maths and science support, and training in touch typing.

This was outlined in Child Y’s education health and care plan (EHCP) – a legal document that sets ou