West Northamptonshire Council to pay £6k after education failures

A council has been told to pay a family more than £6,000 after failing to provide alternative education to a pupil who struggled to attend classes.

The girl, who was at primary school in west Northamptonshire, had been out of full time education for six months due to mental health issues in April 2023.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found several faults in West Northamptonshire Council’s actions and stated it could have done more for the pupil.

The council acknowledged the ombudsman’s findings and said it had apologised to the family.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the girl’s mother contacted West Northamptonshire Council to ask for help, which then took several measures including advising the school to gradually increase the girl’s attendance and later starting a tuition package for her.

The mother told the Ombudsman her daughter was experiencing anxiety about attending lessons and had also been referred for an assessment for autism.

She contacted the council about her daughter’s lack of education to ask for alternative education programmes and presented letters from their GP saying the child needed support.

Attempting to increase her hours in school in May 2023 caused further distress and in February 2024 the council started a tuition package before she began at a special school in September.

The parent also complained that her request to the council to carry out an education health and care plan (EHCP) assessment was issued nine months late, causing her to miss two and a half school terms without the appropriate provision laid out in her plan.

The local government watchdog found the council was at fault for the delays in issuing the plan for the pupil.

Though it did not criticise the council’s original decision to advise the school to gradually increase the girl’s contact hours, it did find that from September 2023 the authority could have done more to make sure she was in education and had alternative options.

The council was ordered to pay £6,700 to the family and provide a letter of apology.

A council spokesperson said while it did “not discuss individual cases”, it did acknowledge the Ombudsman’s findings.

“We apologise to the family affected and remain committed to making the necessary improvements and working collaboratively with parents and families to address their concerns,” they added.