Oliver's Story
Oliver is six years old and has never set foot in a classroom. He is autistic, non-verbal, and has global developmental delay. This page tells the story of how Hertfordshire County Council has failed to provide him with a suitable education, from pre-school to today.
Read Story
November 2022
Oliver Starts Pre-School
Oliver started at a pre-school in Welwyn Garden City in November 2022. This was the year before he was due to begin Reception in September 2023.
February 2023
First Dealings With the Council
Oliver’s pre-school applied to Hertfordshire County Council for funding to support him. The council refused, despite clear evidence he needed extra help. His previous pre-school, under another council, had already received the exact same funding. Hertfordshire simply chose not to support him.
March 2023
Oliver Forced to Leave Pre-School
After Hertfordshire refused funding, the pre-school could not support Oliver. We were forced to withdraw him after the manager admitted, “we can’t cope with him” and “we don’t feel like this is the right place for him.”
June 2023
Oliver Officially Diagnosed
Oliver was officially diagnosed with autism by the NHS in June 2023, when he was three years old. A diagnosis isn’t required for a child to receive support, but councils often use the lack of one as a reason to delay help. In Oliver’s case, Hertfordshire had already been told about his needs before the diagnosis but still failed to provide suitable support.September 2023
Home Education Begins
Oliver should have been starting Reception, but after Hertfordshire’s failures at pre-school, we had no confidence to send him into another unsupported setting. Instead, we kept him at home so we could help him learn to use a tablet with an AAC app and work on basic skills that previous settings couldn’t.
September 2024
Preparing For School
Oliver reached compulsory school age in September 2024. Still home-educating, we arranged for an Early Years Specialist Advisory Teacher to complete a report on Oliver. We planned to use this as evidence when applying for an EHCP, as it was becoming clear he would need a specialist setting.
January 2025
EHCP Process Begins
We applied for an EHCP, the legal plan that sets out what support a child should get in school. The evidence was already there, with clear reports and a long history showing what Oliver needed. Hertfordshire still took the full six weeks to decide whether to assess.Read: Hertfordshire County Council Wasted Six Weeks Deciding the Obvious
March 2025
Poor Communication and Questionable Assessments
Hertfordshire agreed to assess Oliver for an EHCP but communication was poor. We raised concerns about his motor skills and the lack of occupational therapy, but nobody replied. The educational psychologist even carried out the assessment over WhatsApp, without meeting him in person.Read: Communication and Assessment Failures at Hertfordshire County Council
May 2025 Part 1
Draft EHCP Issued
When the draft EHCP finally arrived, Hertfordshire tried to rush it off to a school before we’d even opened it. Parents are meant to get 15 days to review it, but apparently that’s optional here.Read: How Hertfordshire’s Draft EHCP Process Undermines Parents
May 2025 Part 2
Refusal to Consult the Requested School
When a draft EHCP is nearly finished, parents can ask for a school to be named in the plan. The council is meant to contact that school before making a final decision. We asked for a specific specialist setting. Hertfordshire said they would not contact the school before finalising the plan and would name a mainstream instead.Read: How Hertfordshire’s School Naming Process Sidelines Parents
July 2025
Final Plan Issued
Hertfordshire’s own panel confirmed Oliver needed a special school, and the mainstream school they consulted said the same, stating "we do not have the highly specialist provision, staff training, or therapeutic infrastructure required to meet Oliver’s needs as detailed in his EHCP". The council ignored this and named the school anyway.Read: Hertfordshire County Council Names Schools That Can’t Meet Needs
September 2025
Appeal Begins
By September, Oliver still had no school place. Hertfordshire knew he was at home and did nothing to help. No interim support, no contact, no education. We began the appeal process to get the specialist placement he needed.Navigation
Not just Oliver
Many children across Hertfordshire are still waiting for suitable education. If this is your family, you are not alone.
Use our quick tool to show how long your child has been without education and what their situation looks like in numbers.
Nothing is stored, everything is created safely on your device.
- Local Authority
- Your child's situation (no place, unsuitable, etc.)
- The date their education stopped
10/06/2025 - 06/11/2025
149
DAYS WAITING FOR A SCHOOL PLACE
Tools for parents
Simple tools and calculators to help parents track deadlines and show the impact of missed education.
EHCP Deadline Tracker
Keep on top of the 20-week process and key deadlines.
Calculate EHCP Deadlines
Missed School Days Tracker
Calculate how many days your child hasn’t received an education.
Calculate Missed School Days
Reduced Timetable Tracker
Track how many days your child has lost out on education because of a reduced timetable.
Calculate Time Lost