A mother was ‘horrified’ when council staff sent a ‘threatening’ letter to her son’s doctor after the GP supported him to stay out of school.

The child – who doesn’t wish to be identified – had to stop attending school in January last year due to his special educational needs. His GP provided a supporting letter which recommended that the council provide him with online lessons instead.

But after a six-month delay Bracknell Forest Council wrote to the GP suggesting they could be asked to defend the letter in court. And it accused the doctor of providing a ‘shield’ for parents wishing to keep their children off school.

The mother said she had to ‘spend hours calming down’ after seeing the letter. She told the News: “I was horrified that our doctor was getting this letter and it was really distressing.”

She added: “It was threatening in a veiled way that they were going to take me to court.”

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In the letter, the council’s special educational needs team said they needed more information about why the doctor felt the child needed online education at home.

But it also suggested the GP had given parents a ‘sword’ to demand extra support. And it warned the doctor could face ‘intense scrutiny’ if the council decided to prosecute the mother.

It said: “Your letter as it currently stands purports to provide the parents with both a shield against enforcement for non-school attendance and a sword for parents to demand expensive open ended home schooling packages.

“Were we to decide in this case to pursue enforcement for non-school attendance, your letter will inevitably and unavoidably become a central piece of evidence.”

It added: “If this goes to the high court in judicial review proceedings your letter will be the subject of intense scrutiny before the court.”

The local government and social care ombudsman ordered the council to pay the family fines totalling £1,200 for the distress caused by the letter and for failing to arrange online lessons for the boy.

Roy Bailey – the councillor in charge of education – has since apologised to the family and said he is putting measures in place to make sure nothing like that happens again.

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He told the News: “We acknowledge, without reservation, the findings of the LGSCO and accept the need to take urgent steps to avoid a future recurrence.

“We will learn from this experience and I will continue to provide constructive challenge to officers whenever the need arises.”

Grainne Siggins, the council’s executive director for people, said improving the special educational needs service is ‘of paramount importance to the council and its political leaders.’

She added that some improvements have already been made but ‘the journey will continue for a number of years.’