EDUCATION chiefs are to pay a mother nearly £2,000 in compensation after a pupil with autism did not receive the essential support he required in school.

And the Local Government Ombudsman’s Office also found Bolton Council was at fault for not ensuring there was a suitable school place available for him at the start of the academic year.

The council said it was disappointed with the ruling as it tried to work with the family throughout.

But chiefs say they will ensure that in the future children who have a statement of educational needs are receiving the relevant support.

The boy who has autism attended a school from September 2012 and the following March his mother told the council that the school was not meeting his needs as outlined in the statement.

The council argued that the school had decided not to provide the support and had not informed the local authority.

The report states: "For the whole academic year the council failed to ensure the specified speech and language and occupational therapy was provided to the pupil.

"I have no reason to doubt the council's comments that the school had unilaterally decided not to make the specified provision but there was still a duty on the council to ensure it was being provided.

"It did not do so and that is an administrative fault."

The council was told to pay £1,600 for the failing.

The boys was taken off the school roll.

Later that year the family went abroad and returned at the end of September 2013.

As the family were away longer than expected and the mother did not highlight the lack of a place until November, the ombudsman's office said this mitigated the injustice caused by the lack of a school place being available in September.

The council was told to pay £300 in recognition of the failing to ensure there was educational provision available to the boy.

A council spokesman said: “We are disappointed with the ombudsman’s findings because we endeavoured to keep lines of communication open with the family throughout the process.

"In accepting the ruling we have introduced a meeting with providers after the initial six weeks of a placement to ensure that the child’s requirements are being met as detailed in the statement of special educational needs.”