A boy with autism was left without proper education for two years when a council failed to provide suitable alternatives after he struggled at mainstream school.

The boy known as 'C', who also has ADHD, was almost excluded from a school in Dorset due to his behaviour.

A Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report found the former Dorset County Council failed to consider whether C needed an education health care (EHC) assessment and didn't provide suitable education alternatives.

Now Dorset Council has apologised for the "stress and disruption caused" and will pay £1,000 to C, as well as a further £300 to each of his parents.

The council said it is "working hard to improve the way it supports children and families with special educational needs."

The Ombudsman report said C started at a secondary school in Dorset in September 2015 after moving from the north of the country with his mother.

By January 2017 there had been at least two reports concerning C's 'behavioural issues' and by mid-May that year C was "no longer willing to work with TAs and was refusing to attend school."

Despite this, Dorset County Council did not amend C's EHC plan until he was "close to permanent exclusion." C stopped attending school in September 2017.

In January 2018 C's parents complained to the county council over the level of education their son was receiving and he later started attending a community farm for eight hours per week.

However nine months later it was discovered that the farm was not Ofsted registered, putting him at risk of harm.

Two months after removing the boy from the farm, he was sent to a private setting for children with special needs and autism. Around two months later, C’s parents removed him from the setting because of concerns about the education it was delivering and the behaviour of other students.

The council put in place just four hours tuition a week, which only lasted a month. In April 2019, after the farm had received its registration, the boy returned for 15 hours a week and was given an additional three hours a week home tuition.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: "From the start of secondary education the council should have kept the boy’s EHC plan under review. But despite multiple triggers, it did not even consider conducting a reassessment – leaving him with the same EHC plan since primary school.

"Consequently, the boy has been out of full-time education for two years, affecting his ability to take his GCSE exams and his future prospects. His father has told us his son has spent a considerable time isolated at home, setting back his education, increasing his anxiety and adversely affecting his confidence and independence.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first complaint we have upheld about the council’s provision for children with special educational needs: we have found fault on eight separate occasions since March 2018. I am concerned the council is not learning from these cases, and it suggests there are wider systemic issues that need to be addressed."

As part of the Ombudsman's recommendations, the council will allocate £4,000 to be used for the boy's educational benefit.

'Reviewing internal processes'

DORSET Council said it is acting on the recommendations in the report, as well as investing in alternative education provision for children with complex needs.

Cllr Andrew Parry, council spokesman for children, education and learning, said: "We fully accept the ombudsman’s findings and apologise to the family for the stress and disruption caused, particularly to the young person involved. Improving our SEND services is a priority for the new Dorset Council. We have a new director and new head of education and learning and are working with schools to provide more alternative education for children with additional needs in Dorset. We’re also reviewing our internal processes to improve the way we support families. We have a lot of work to do but we’re determined to make things better for children and families."

Earlier this year, the leader of Dorset Council, Cllr Spencer Flower, wrote to the Secretary of State to highlight the ‘impossible’ situation councils face without additional funding.

Cllr Parry added: "Like other councils, we’re in a situation where the funding we receive from Government just doesn’t match the increasing demand. We have been pushing MPs for more money, so our children and young people can receive the support they need and deserve."