Drug dealing pupil wins compensation
A schoolboy expelled for selling cannabis on campus is set to receive £1,500 towards his further education after the Local Government Ombudsman found a council guilty of maladministration.
The father of the boy - who was not named - is set to receive £250 for what the Ombudsman described as his "time and trouble in chasing the complaint".
Members of the Torbay Council unitary authority in Devon will today discuss the Ombudsman's recommendations.
The body ruled that the council's slowness in finding a new school for the year ten schoolboy, and failure to teach him at home properly while expelled, caused injustice.
The boy, whose school was not identified, was found a place at a community college to continue his education.
During his expulsion the boy was taught at home for five hours a week, rising to ten hours, but the tutor was not always able to make the planned sessions, said the Ombudsman.
Although his GCSE results were below the targets set at his former school the Ombudsman did not conclude this was the result of the council's failures.
But they were the cause of injustice, as the boy should have had the opportunity to maintain progress.
Ahead of the meeting, Torbay's director for children's services, Margaret Dennison, said the authority deeply regretted any feelings of injustice or trauma that may have been caused to the boy and his family following the incident.
"The issue of drug dealing in schools is a highly emotive one, and despite our best endeavours, we were unable to find the boy suitable alternative provision in a school as quickly as we should have done.
"We accept the findings of the Ombudsman, and feel that we have learned from this experience," she said.
Source: The Daily Mail (23/03/2006)
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