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(UK) Surrey: Autistic girl waits 2 yrs for SPED plan; excluded twice from school

Jan 13, 2022, Surrey Live: Surrey County Council says sorry after autistic girl missed school support her mum urged was needed https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-county-council-says-sorry-22731160

Surrey County Council has apologised for not acting on a mum’s concerns her autistic daughter was not provided with the school support she needed. After two years trying to get an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), Lauren, whose real name hasn't been revealed, secured a plan funding extra support for her autism, but when the council delayed naming a particular school on the plan she said she missed out on support for many more months. The Local Government Ombudsman said the county council should pay the parents £300 [$410] compensation and take action to stop it happening again. In April last year, SurreyLive reported that Lauren was unfairly excluded from school twice by Hinchley Wood School. The school went on to write a formal apology letter and commissioned a review of its Behaviour, Rewards and Sanctions policy…. It is the county council’s duty to make sure what is outlined in the EHCP is provided. Councils can ask schools to arrange this but if a school refuses the council must do so. However parents need to inform the council within 12 months, which Lauren's mum didn't do because she believed she had to wait for the school’s response first. So the council was within its rights to refuse to investigate. But the Ombudsman asked why the council could not provide records of contacts with Lauren’s mum, when she said that while waiting she had met with them five times with concerns over lack of support at the school….


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