Council to pay mum and son £10k for 'lost' education

A council will will pay a mother £1,000 and her son £9,000 for causing them "significant frustration" and disrupting the young person's education.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman upheld a complaint from a woman after Slough Borough Council failed to secure the special education provision required in her son's Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

The council did not complete her son's EHC plan review every 12 months and did not secure all of the special educational provision included in his plan, the ombudsman found.

A council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the local authority is "sincerely sorry for the frustration, uncertainty and distress" caused.

Slough council told the ombudsman there was evidence home tuition was "inconsistent, with significant periods when it was reduced or not delivered".

The ombudsman ruled that the council was at fault for poor communication, which caused the woman "frustration, uncertainty and time and trouble".

The council offered to pay her son £9,000 for his "lost and disrupted" educational and therapy provision.

The woman will also receive £1,000 for the "significant frustration, uncertainty and time and trouble" that came with repeatedly chasing the council for annual reviews, transition planning and provision.

A Slough council spokesperson said: "Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and their families, should be able to rely on us to provide timely support, clear communication and the services to which they are entitled."

In this case, the council did not meet those standards but "our SEND service is on a significant journey of improvement", the spokesperson added.

The council recognised there is more to do but said "we are committed to learning from cases such as this".

In November 2025, the council was told to address widespread failures in its SEND services.