News Story: Autistic teen forced to miss 2 years of school

Autism and Neurodiversity News

Autistic teen forced to miss 2 years of school

UK County Council ordered to pay costs

By Peter Clark (Senior Editor, Autism Info Center)

Wednesday 15th October 2025

A 13-year-old autistic girl in Cambridgeshire has been out of school for nearly two years due to council delays in providing appropriate support.

Her mother, Sarah, described her fight for help as a "constant battle".

The Local Government Ombudsman ordered Cambridgeshire County Council to pay the family £4,700 for failing to provide a suitable education for her daughter, Sophia, and for delaying an assessment for an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

A council meeting heard that more than 80% of complaints about its provision for pupils with special education needs were upheld.

The council cited an "unprecedented" increase in demand for its services, with EHC plans having more than doubled since 2018.

Source: BBC News (UK)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c24r77e2m5vo

Author: Peter J Clark
Senior Editor, Autism Info Center

Peter is an autistic writer, social care worker and campaigner who has spent over 20 years as a journalist, author and editor for five major business journals worldwide, and published over 200 books with Sterling Publishing and others. He enjoys teaching, spreading uncompromising truth, and helping other people live their best possible life.

Recent articles by Peter Clark:

Further reading, listening and viewing...

Have you seen our books about Autism and Neurodiversity?

Copyright ©2025-2026 Peter J. Clark T/A Autism Info Center / BBC News (UK). All rights reserved worldwide. This information may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted, stored, indexed or distributed without the express written permission of the publisher, author, and copyright holder. If you wish to use some of our information, please use our Usage Request form first; We are usually happy to provide permission to use our information free of charge for all reasonable requests. Thank you!

 

Copyright ©2026 Autism Info Center Visit us on YouTube Visit us on Facebook