The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has slammed Suffolk County Council for multiple failures in providing alternative education for children out of school.
Ombudsman Michael King said the council must make changes “as a priority”.
Michael King, the Ombudsman, is “disappointed to have to again highlight our concerns about the council’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities service”
The warning follows the Ombudsman’s latest ruling after the mother of a young girl complained that her daughter did not receive a suitable alternative education for six months after she became too anxious to attend her primary school.
The law requires councils to put in place alternative education once it becomes clear a child will be away from a school for 15 days or more.
Council’s responsibility
It is the council’s responsibility to oversee attendance, not the school’s.
However, in this case, Suffolk County Council relied on the school making a referral. It did not have a way to check attendance for itself.
This led to the council missing numerous opportunities to intervene. It did not assess the girl’s needs or provide her with a suitable education.
‘Numerous decisions about the council’
Michael King said: “We have issued numerous decisions about the council’s poor performance in providing alternative education for children out of school for whatever reason.
“Over that time the council has agreed to make a wide range of improvements to its services. We are disappointed to have to again highlight our concerns about the council’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities service, having made many previous recommendations for improvement in the past 18 months.
“While I acknowledge the council is making wide-scale changes to its service, I have issued this report to highlight that alternative provision needs to be improved as a priority, and those changes should have a long-term impact.”
Council agrees to apologise
In this case, the council has agreed to apologise to the mother. The apology covers its delay and its failure to provide an alternative provision for her daughter.
It will also pay the mother a combined £1,500 for her time and trouble and her daughter’s missed education.
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Published: 17 March 2023
