Harrow Council to pay £800 over child's lost school place
Local Government Ombudsman finds failures in Education, Health and Care Plan process left a child without a placement.
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Relies on LGO report and council statement, with dates and £800 figure cited.
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Harrow Council has been ordered by the Local Government Ombudsman to pay £800 in compensation and issue an apology following failures that left a child without a school or college place. The child, referred to as Y, was without an educational placement in September 2024, the start of the academic year.
Failures in EHCP process
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The Local Government Ombudsman found that the council did not amend Y's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to name a post-16 setting by the legal deadline of 31 March 2024. This failure denied Y the opportunity to appeal the decision regarding their placement. The Ombudsman stated it could not confirm that this specific fault left Y without a placement in September 2024, as Y's mother, referred to as Miss X, had already removed Y from their previous school due to concerns about its suitability.
Miss X had requested an emergency review of Y's EHCP in June 2023, expressing concerns about the quality of the current placement and stating Y should not continue there for the final academic year. A review meeting took place in July 2023. Discussions about post-16 options began in December 2023, with Y due to start this phase in September 2024. By May 2024, Harrow Council acknowledged it had not yet found a suitable placement.
Delayed provision and compensation
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Despite issuing a draft amended EHCP in July 2024 and continuing to search for a placement, Y did not have a place when the academic year began in September 2024. Miss X began arranging and funding alternative learning activities for Y. Following a new educational psychologist assessment, the council agreed to fund English and maths tuition and, in February 2025, agreed to fund the other activities backdated to September 2024. Y was finally issued with an amended EHCP in March 2025.
The Ombudsman identified further fault in the council's delay in arranging suitable education for Y, which it found did not begin until February 2025, despite concerns being raised in September 2024. The council was also found to have failed to provide Y with support to which they were entitled under their EHCP, even when not attending a formal educational setting.
A spokesperson for Harrow Council stated: "We accept the Ombudsman’s findings and apologise for the faults identified. We have issued formal apologies and reviewed and strengthened our processes to ensure children and young people receive the support they need within statutory timescales and without delay."
Next steps
Harrow Council has been ordered to issue formal apologies to both Miss X and Y for the injustice caused. The council has stated it has reviewed and strengthened its processes to prevent future delays in providing support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Questions this report answers
+Why has Harrow Council been ordered to pay compensation?
Harrow Council must pay £800 and apologise because it failed to secure a school place for a child, referred to as Y, for September 2024. The Local Government Ombudsman found the council missed legal deadlines for amending Y's Education, Health and Care Plan and delayed arranging suitable education.
+What failures did the Local Government Ombudsman find against Harrow Council?
The Ombudsman found Harrow Council failed to amend Y's Education, Health and Care Plan by the 31 March 2024 deadline to name a post-16 setting. It also found the council delayed arranging suitable education for Y until February 2025, despite concerns being raised in September 2024, and failed to provide entitled support.
+What happens next for Harrow Council and the child involved?
Harrow Council has been ordered to issue formal apologies to the child, referred to as Y, and their mother, Miss X. The council has stated it has reviewed and strengthened its internal processes to ensure children and young people receive necessary support within statutory timescales.
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