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A parent claimed that the council had taken too long to assess her son's needs and issue the EHCP, had 'named' an unsuitable school for her son to attend, and had "communicated with her poorly". As a result she said her son had missed out on a "significant" amount of education and that the family's wellbeing had been impacted. According to the Ombudsman's report the boy had struggled at school for several years and his mother requested that his needs be assessed in September 2022.
After initially refusing to asses the child the council did agree to an assessment in July 2023. The Ombudsman said an EHCP should have been issued within 14 weeks of that decision, but the EHCP was not issued until March 2024 – which the Ombudsman says was "five months late". Following receipt of the EHCP, the mother complained about flaws in the assessment process and poor communication from the council, adding she was unsatisfied with the EHCP or the mainstream school that the council had decided her son should attend.
In response, the Ombudsman found that the delay in issuing the EHCP caused the parent "significant frustration" and "leaves a remaining uncertainty about...
Deborah Price.
