Authority rapped in Ombudsman's report
A council has paid out nearly £1,000 to the mother of a child with special needs after an Ombudsman ruled it had delayed fulfilling its statutory duty of providing alternative education provision. The mother, ‘Ms D’, complained that Trafford council failed to provide her son, E, with full-time education when he stopped attending school.
Ms D emailed the school in February 2023 to say E’s anxiety was getting worse. The council issued E’s final plan and named two schools - the primary school he was attending and then a secondary school from September onwards. The council responded to Ms D’s MP, saying it had been in regular communication with the school about E’s attendance. It said the school had put strategies in place and some online support, but that they were ‘no longer working’.
“The council should have considered its duties under the Education Act,” they said. “The council told Ms D it had to hold an annual review before it could make a referral for medical provision. Ms D said when the council eventually intervened, it only provided E with a part-time education. The Ombudsman said: “The Education Act says education provided by a council must be full-time unless they determine it would not be in the child’s best interests.”
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Council tax to be frozen in every local authority in ScotlandThe Government said the First Minister's policy had been delivered following a standoff with two councils
Read more »
Transport authority backs Council's proposals to radicalise bus servicesThe proposals will give the public control of bus services and bring Greater Glasgow and Lanarkshire into line with comparable cities such as Manchester.
Read more »
Local authority reverses council tax hike after arguing with Scottish GovernmentInverclyde Council has said residents will receive a reduction in their council tax bills after councillors agreed to a one-off credit for the 2024-2025 financial year.
Read more »
North Yorkshire County Council: Marking one year of the largest local authority in the countryThe leader of the largest local authority in the country by area has been reflecting on the first anniversary of the founding of North Yorkshire Council.
Read more »
Wandsworth Council: Low council tax but high-quality servicesWandsworth Council charges residents in a band-D property just £961 this year, yet it's still opening libraries and launching 'skip days' - many across the UK might be looking and wondering: how can we get the same service? Wandsworth Council charges some of the lowest council tax in England but still makes provisions for extra services – how does it do it? It is shortly after 9:30am on a brisk Saturday morning on Larch Close in Balham, and a father and his toddler daughter are chanting a made-up song while waiting in the line to use an enormous skip that’s been placed in the street. “Mega skip day,” the two cheerfully chant as the father finishes kicking apart a shelving unit so he can dispose of it. The others gathering around are less obviously exuberant but still share cheerful words with the high-vis clad council workers Emma and Eve who are staffing the skip.
Read more »
Library to close for a week while council spends Arts Council money on new shelvesLibrary users in Oswestry will benefit from new shelving which is to be installed over the coming weeks, and which will mean some closures for the work to be completed.
Read more »