BackNorth Tyneside Council has agreed to pay £5,900 to a family after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found it failed to provide promised specialist technology that would have allowed a child with special educational needs to learn from home - the second time the Ombudsman has ruled against the council for the same child.
The child has not attended school since September 2022 due to their special educational needs. Following an earlier Ombudsman investigation in August 2023, the council agreed to purchase specialist technology that would enable the child to interact with their class while learning from home.
The council said IT security restrictions and compatibility issues meant the technology could not be provided, but it then failed to arrange any alternative education for 13 months, leaving the child without suitable provision during a crucial GCSE year.
The council also did not attempt to put any other arrangements in place for the child’s education until September 2024. And even then, it relied on the school to make a referral to an alternative provider, chasing the school nine times rather than arranging provision directly.
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Source: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, UK
