Oct 11, 2023, BBC News: Bexley Council caused an autistic child significant injustice, report says https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67057251.amp
A south London council caused an autistic child a "significant injustice" by failing to provide him with an adequate education for 10 months, an ombudsman has found. The child, named G in the report, stopped attending school in January 2022 after becoming distressed.
His parents said Bexley Council dismissed the anxiety he was experiencing while not at school.
A council spokesperson said it had apologised.
The report, by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said the child was referred by his school to the authority's autism advisory service (AAS) in December 2021….. 'Effective education'
The council agreed to amend his education plan, with G receiving one to two hours of tutoring a week from mid-June. The parents had a meeting with the council at the beginning of August and asked for G to receive education outside of school.
The council said it felt he needed a structured school environment and contacted several schools in September, but all of them claimed they could not meet the student's needs, the report said. G reportedly started receiving two hours of animal therapy and two hours of tutoring a week in September, which increased in the following months.
Bexley Council responded to the parents' escalated complaint in October, apologising for the distress caused….
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