Northamptonshire family receives £7,100 after education delays
The boy missed out on two and a half years of suitable education provision
A Northamptonshire mum has been awarded a £7,100 payment and a written apology from the council, after delays caused her son to miss out on two and a half years of suitable education provision.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) said the family also faced a “considerable delay” in receiving a care assessment for the student, who has special educational needs (SEND).
The cabinet member for education and children has said that the council has already taken steps to address the issues and is continuing to strengthen its SEND services.
A report published by the local government watchdog said the pupil had requested an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) from West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) back in December 2022.
Despite his mother telling the council that he had only been attending school on a reduced timetable for 45 minutes per day, the authority missed its 20-week deadline to complete the EHCP assessment and issue the plan, which sets out any additional support that is required.
WNC did not issue a final EHC plan until January 2024, over a year after the assessment was first requested and around eight months after the statutory deadline to do so.
The council later named a local mainstream school that could take on the pupil in May 2024. The family appealed the plan to the tribunal. In February 2025, WNC was ordered to issue a new EHC plan.
The following month, the authority named a new school setting, which the child has attended since March 2025. If the council had completed the EHC needs assessment in line with statutory time limits, the student’s EHC Plan would have been finalised by April 2023.
The ombudsman found that the council’s SEND teams were going through “considerable change” during the period that was investigated, and the council said the delay in issuing the EHCP was due to a shortage of educational psychologists. The report states that WNC explained that work has been done to ensure situations like this do not recur, including issuing guidance to staff.
The LGSCO said that the council’s delays and failure to implement support, in line with its Section 19 duty to make arrangements for children who cannot access suitable education, caused “significant uncertainty” and “injustice” to the family.
The mother also said she had been paying for a private tutor since September 2023 for her child.
The watchdog instructed the council to apologise in writing, pay the mother £800 in recognition of the delays in completing the EHC plan, and a further £6,300 in recognition of the lost provision between October 2022 and March 2025.
In response to the report, cabinet member for children, families and education, Cllr Michael Stratton, said that while the council cannot comment on individual cases, it does acknowledge the ombudsman’s findings.
He added: “We apologise for the delays identified and the impact on the child and their family.
“We have already taken steps to address these issues and are continuing to strengthen our SEND services, working closely with parents and partners to ensure children receive the right support at the right time.”