Young man left without education for more than a year

A young man with Down's syndrome and autism was left without suitable education for more than a year, an investigation found.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) said the man moved with his mother to Oxfordshire from their previous home, about 200 miles away, in September 2023.

But by November 2024, he had not been given a suitable place and his mother said she had spent about £10,000 on alternative support in that time.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson said it was "committed to providing the best education and support for every young person".

The LGO investigation found the man's mother complained to the authority in November 2023 after the failure to find him education.

At the time, the council acknowledged that its consultations with potential new placements were taking longer than expected.

The mother complained again in January 2024 and said the case had left her son "bored and marginalised". The council apologised.

By August 2024 – after the man had been out of education for a full academic year – the council said it had found a place for him but did not know when that would be approved by a panel.

In November 2024, when the mother's LGO complaint was settled, the mother said it was still unclear when the placement would be resolved.

The LGO said the council had accepted its communication with the mother was "not up to standard".

The council was told to pay the man £3,500 to recognise the injustice caused and £500 to his mother to recognise her distress.

It also was told to pay £500 for every other half term the man misses of education.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson said: "We are committed to providing the best education and support for every young person in Oxfordshire and have agreed a course of action with the local government ombudsman for this particular case.

"The national average for completing EHCPs (Education, Health and Care Plans) within 20 weeks was 50.3% in 2023 (latest available figure). Oxfordshire County Council's figure for May 2024 was 57.9%. This is up from 4% in January 2023."

The man and his mother received the report in November but it was published on Thursday.