A parent has been offered £600 by Bracknell Forest Council after it was late in assessing her child’s special educational needs for the second time in the space of two years.

The parent – known in a government watchdog’s report as Mrs X – complained that the council was late in providing her daughter with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The delay left her worried that her child might have to move schools.

An EHCP is a legal document that sets out what the council has to provide a child with special educational needs after assessments by professionals – and by law has to be done within 20 weeks.

The child – known as Y – had a review of her EHCP in November 2022, and Mrs X wanted to be reassured that the updated plan would recommend she stay at the same specialist school. Yet by March this year she still hadn’t heard anything – even though the February deadline had passed.

READ MORE: Bracknell Forest parents face ‘anguish’ over special educational needs crisis

The council admitted this was wrong and offered her payments totalling £600 for her distress and uncertainty, for having to seek legal advice, and for the time and trouble she went through in complaining.

This came after it had already accepted it was wrong and paid her compensation for another delay to Y’s annual ECHP review the year before.

Mrs X complained to the local government and social care ombudsman after the most recent delay, as she did not accept the council’s payment offer.

The watchdog ruled that the council was at fault, but said the payments offered were appropriate, and that it is taking steps to improve its service.