Disabled teenager from Lancashire still waiting to start college after SEND paperwork delay

ITV Granada Reports correspondent Mel Barham has been following Tomas' journey.

A disabled teenage boy has been told he must wait even longer to start college because of council delays in getting him the right SEND paperwork.

Tomas Woods, 16, who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, has been left waiting in limbo, unable to continue his education, until the paperwork is completed.

He was told he needed an EHCP from the Lancashire County Council, a special educational health and care plan to pay for his extra requirements.

But exactly a month since he raised his concerns, the teenager from Preston is still waiting.

He said: "Its really disappointing cos by now we're another month on - it should've just been done by this point and there's really no excuse for it not to have been."

The EHCP is a legal document that outlines the needs of a young person with a disability and the support they require

It should have been finalised by Lancashire County Council by the end of March - but in October he is still waiting for the document that would enable him to begin at a specialist college.

He is among more than a thousand complaints the council has received about its SEND services.

And it does not end there for Tomas - he is also the current wheelchair motocross world champion but that is also being out at risk without the EHCP

Tomas's story is by no means unique and a special helpline set up at the start of September has been overwhelmed.

In a statement Lancashire County Council say: "Now that Tomas is 16, the council has taken over arranging the provision contained in his Education, Health and Care Plan( EHCP) and need to ensure that this still covers him for all of his activities.

"Tomas is an exceptional young athlete and his situation is unique. We need to ensure that his EHCP and insurance policies are up to date and we are sorry that this has taken longer than anticipated.

"We are working towards a solution as a matter of the utmost priority. Creativity Works provide Tomas with his educational provision, and we are in the process of making plans for him to return to this in the very near future."

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