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A West London council wrongly told parents their eight-year-old son with sensory and behavioural needs should walk three miles to school after refusing to provide transport. Ealing Council applied "incorrect tests" when denying the child transport to and from school, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has ruled.
The council failed to consider the boy's sensory and behavioural needs despite being given evidence after withdrawing his transport support. The child, known as Child X, had previously received free school transport until age 8 due to his additional needs.
But after the council's refusal, the child missed around 35 minutes of school every day. Officials rejected the family's application, claiming the child's EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) "did not detail any physical mobility issues". The boy's special school told the council: "Many children at the special school had difficulties with challenging behaviour and sensory reactions which could make their behaviour unpredictable and cause distress. Mr X's child could not attend their sibling's school as they needed a special school.".
The council must now apologise and pay £250 compensation. A fresh assessment found the child eligible for transport support. A spokesperson for Ealing Council said: "We sincerely apologise for the fault in the way we conducted this appeal. Supporting residents with extra needs is a top priority for us. Since the ombudsman's decision, we have held another stage 2 complaint appeal panel about this case, which found that the family met the necessary eligibility criteria due to the child's significant sensory difficulties. We have apologised to the family and compensated them for our mistake. To ensure it does not happen again, we have provided further training on the relevant laws to our team.".
