A London council has been found at fault twice in quick succession for failing to deliver legally required support to children with special educational needs attending schools outside its area.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman upheld two complaints against the London Borough of Hounslow after it repeatedly failed to meet its legal duty to ensure SEND provision follows the child — not the school's location.
In the most striking case, a girl with autism missed speech and language and occupational therapies for two full terms. Misinformed by the council, her family moved her to a borough school to access support, only for her to struggle in the new setting and lose her original school place entirely.
The council has been ordered to apologise and pay the family £1,700. Ombudsman Amerdeep Clarke urged every council in England to urgently review its oversight of out-of-area placements, warning the impact of getting it wrong on vulnerable children can be ‘profound and long-lasting.’
A Hounslow Council spokesperson said: 'Hounslow Council accepts the technicalities of the original Local Government Ombudsman findings and remains fully aware of our responsibilities to children with Special Educational Needs who are schooled outside the borough.'
