North Tyneside Council has agreed to pay £5,900 to a family after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found it failed to provide suitable education for a child with special educational needs for more than a year.
The child has not attended school since September 2022. Following an earlier Ombudsman ruling in August 2023, the council promised to supply specialist technology so the child could learn from home and stay connected to lessons.
However, citing IT security and compatibility issues, the council did not deliver the equipment and failed to arrange alternative provision for 13 months.
The Ombudsman said the lack of action during a crucial GCSE year likely had a significant impact on the child’s education and wellbeing.
The council has apologised and agreed to review its processes to ensure better oversight when arranging alternative education for children unable to attend school.
Mark Mirfin, director of Children’s Services at North Tyneside Council, said: ‘We are sincerely sorry for the delays in finding an alternative provision for this child.
‘We have carefully reflected on what went wrong, and the learning from this has helped us strengthen our processes so that children and families get the support they need more quickly. A provision has been in place for the child since March 2025.’
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