Harrow Council pays £800 for EHCP failures
Local Government Ombudsman finds council delayed suitable education provision for a child.
Incident → evidence → outcomeHarrow Council has been ordered to pay £800 and issue a formal apology for failures related to a child's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The Local Government Ombudsman found the council did not meet legal deadlines for a key stage transfer review, which resulted in delays in arranging suitable educational provision for the child.
Delays in Education Provision
The Ombudsman's report detailed that a mother, referred to as Miss X, raised concerns in June 2023 about her child, referred to as Y, attending a secondary school that could not meet their needs. She requested an emergency review of Y's EHCP, as the child was due to start post-16 education in September 2024. Despite discussions about Y's options beginning in December 2023, Harrow Council accepted in May 2024 that it had not secured a suitable placement.
By September 2024, when Y was due to begin their post-16 education, no school or college place had been arranged. Miss X began funding additional learning activities for Y and requested the council provide English and maths tuition. The council later agreed to fund these activities, backdated to September 2024, and provided details of tuition providers in February 2025.
The Ombudsman found that the council failed to amend Y's EHCP to name a post-16 setting by the legal deadline of March 31, 2024. This prevented Y from having the opportunity to appeal the decision. The report also stated that the council delayed arranging suitable provision until February 2025, even though concerns were first raised in September 2024. The council also failed to provide entitled support as part of Y's EHCP.
Council Response and Next Steps
A spokesperson for Harrow Council stated that the authority accepts the Ombudsman's findings and apologises for the identified faults. The council has issued formal apologies and has reviewed and strengthened its processes. These changes aim to ensure children and young people receive necessary support within statutory timescales and without delay. The council remains committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Questions this report answers
01What has Harrow Council been ordered to do?
Harrow Council has been ordered to pay £800 and issue a formal apology. This follows findings by the Local Government Ombudsman regarding failures in processing a child's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
02Why did the Ombudsman find fault with Harrow Council?
The Ombudsman found that Harrow Council failed to complete a key stage transfer review of a child's EHCP by the legal deadline. This led to delays in arranging suitable educational provision for the child.
03When was suitable education provision arranged?
Suitable education provision was delayed until February 2025. Concerns about the child's educational placement were first raised in September 2024, and the council accepted it had not found a placement by May 2024.
04What has Harrow Council done in response?
Harrow Council has accepted the Ombudsman's findings and issued formal apologies. The council has reviewed and strengthened its internal processes to ensure children and young people receive support within statutory timescales and without delay.
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