Ombudsman raps Barnet over failure to provide adequate education for excluded girl
The Local Government Ombudsman has recommended that the London Borough of Barnet pay £2,500 in compensation for failing to provide adequate education for a girl who was out of school.
The Ombudsman, Tony Redmond, also criticised the council for delays in responding to a request from the mother to assess the girl’s special educational needs.
Redmond said: “It is clear that the education provided [for the complainant’s daughter] between her exclusion….and her return to full-time schooling….was well below the requirements of the statutory guidance.”
The Ombudsman said it was not sufficient for the council to say that the girl remained on the school roll and so the local authority was not responsible for her education.
“That fails to reflect the reality of the situation: that the school had become unsuitable for Jeri and it was impossible for her to attend,” he concluded.
The LGO acknowledged that the girl received some educational provision between November 2006 and May 2007, but said he was “not convinced it was anywhere near adequate, particularly since no actual tuition was arranged until March 2007. Even then the provision fell short of the 24 hours required at Key Stage 3/4.”
Redmond said the council’s delay in responding to the request in relation to special educational needs – it took 11 weeks rather than six under the statutory timescale – was unreasonable.
The Ombudsman recommended the council pay:
- £1,750 compensation for the girl’s lost education
- £500 for the distress caused to the mother, and
- £250 for her time and trouble in pursuing the complaint.
