Bromley Council Ordered to Pay £2,000 Over Education Failures for Disabled Woman
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has mandated Bromley Council to compensate a family with £2,000 after the authority failed to ensure a disabled woman received legally entitled maths tuition and speech and language therapy provision. The investigation revealed systemic failures that left the student without proper educational support for nearly five school terms.
Chronic Delays in Educational Provision
Miss X, acting on behalf of her adult daughter Miss Z who has disabilities and special educational needs, filed a complaint with the ombudsman after Bromley Council repeatedly failed to implement required educational provisions. Miss Z's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) legally obligates the council to provide specific care and educational support, which was not delivered in a timely manner.
In January 2024, the council issued an amended EHCP that included a personal budget for maths tuition but controversially removed speech and language therapy (SALT) provision. Miss X immediately appealed this decision to a SEND tribunal while simultaneously complaining to the council about both the missing SALT provision and the delayed maths tuition funding.
Multiple Systemic Failures Identified
The ombudsman's investigation uncovered several critical failures in Bromley Council's handling of the case. Despite the SEND tribunal ordering the council in January 2025 to amend the EHCP to include SALT provision, the therapy wouldn't begin for another five months. Similarly, maths tuition arrangements faced repeated delays and inappropriate proposals.
Miss X informed the council in April 2024 that proposed maths packages were unsuitable because they required either online learning or travel to another college 10 miles away, which would cause Miss Z to miss her regular college lessons. The council failed to address these concerns adequately until May 2025.
Extended Period Without Essential Support
The investigation determined that Miss Z did not receive any maths tuition for just under five school terms due to the council's mishandling of the situation. Furthermore, the council issued an updated EHCP 23 weeks late, following the annual review in December 2024. This delay compounded the injustice experienced by the student and her family.
Bromley Council eventually commissioned a maths provider for two hours weekly beginning in May 2025, the same month SALT provision finally commenced. The council had previously offered £750 in compensation, but the ombudsman determined this was insufficient given the severity and duration of the failures.
Council Reforms and Compensation Order
The ombudsman ordered Bromley Council to pay £2,000 to acknowledge the loss of both maths tuition and SALT provision, along with the distress, uncertainty, and delayed appeal rights experienced by Miss X and Miss Z. The council must also issue formal apologies to both individuals.
In response to the findings, Bromley Council informed the ombudsman about implementing new procedures, including establishing an approved group of independent SALT therapists to secure assessments and provision with minimal delay. The authority also committed to increasing staffing capacity and creating a new assessment team to prevent future EHCP review delays.
This case highlights ongoing challenges in local authorities' fulfillment of educational obligations for disabled students and those with special educational needs, particularly regarding timely implementation of legally mandated provisions.
