Boy from Epsom out of school for months after Surrey County Council "fail to provide adequate education"

A two year struggle between a family from Epsom and Surrey County Council to secure their son's SEND provision has been described by their MP as an "acrimonious, ongoing battle".

7-year-old Joshua was out of education for months despite an approved Education Health and Care Plan to address his needs and being offered a place by a suitable school.

The delay in his education has taken a "devastating" toll on his health - and can no longer communicate clearly, lacks any sense of danger and cannot read or write.

Joshua has autism, ADHD, Speech and Language delay and Developmental Coordination Disorder. As his family continued to battle, his father contacted Epsom and Ewell MP Helen Maguire

"His parents have been battling with Surrey County Council and have also spent tens of thousands of pounds, just trying to get the right support that their son really needs."

"It's just been this really acrimonious, ongoing battle and it's really disappointing to find that there are parents locally who are struggling so much. All they want is a good education for their kids."

Joshua has now had a place at a school secured, but Helen Maguire said that this is a challenge that many families across the county are facing.

"This case totally highlights the challenges that not just Joshua and his parents face, but so many other parents in Surrey face at the moment. It's just incredibly tragic that at the end of the day it's the kids that really suffer from this."

Clare Curran, SCC Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning: “We are working hard to improve this council’s services for children with additional needs and disabilities in Surrey. We have invested an additional £15m into a three-year multi-agency recovery plan, in place since September 2023. This is now delivering clear performance improvements.

“This is against a backdrop of a growing demand for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) services and nationally a SEND system which is under extraordinary pressure across the whole country, with almost all Local Authorities nationally having seen a very significant increase in the number of children with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in recent years. This includes in Surrey, where the number of EHCPS nearly doubled between 2017 and 2023.

“This council is fully focused on this vital improvement work that will directly benefit children and young people, and their families. Alongside this, we recognise that there are issues nationally with the current system for supporting children with additional needs and disabilities, and we are consistently lobbying government for wider system changes, additional funding and reform.

“We are resolute in our ambition to continue to improve services and outcomes for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities in Surrey so that they are happy, healthy, safe and confident about their future.”