A MAN is suing his council for more than £50,000 claiming his schools failed to make provision for his dyslexia.

Christopher Gunner, now 20, of Church Road, Partridge Green, has filed a High Court writ for damages against West Sussex County Council.

Mr Gunner is a former pupil of Blackthorns County Primary School in Haywards Heath and Warden Park School in Cuckfield and is claiming the council was negligent in the provision of his education between 1988 and 1993.

If he wins, he could receive damages of between £50,000 and £100,000.

Damages

The writ was issued last month but has not yet been served on the council. His solicitors, Teacher Stern Selby in London, are waiting to hear the outcome of a similar test case which will be heard in the House of Lords.

Adyslexic woman, Pamela Phelps, won £45,000 from the London Borough of Hillingdon but the decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal.

She is now taking her bid to win damages to the House of Lords.

Aspokesman for Teacher Stern and Selby said: "The basis of this claim is the failure of the authority to give appropriate provision. It was not that they did not recognise he had special needs but the lack of provision for those special needs."

Qualifications

Mr Gunner's solicitor, Laura Berman, said: "The main basis is that the provision given to Christopher at school was just not appropriate. It just didn't deal with his special needs.

"It affected his schooling and the qualifications he came out with and therefore his job propects."

Aspokesman for West Sussex County Council said: "The writ has not been served and we don't know anything about it so we can't comment."

Mr Gunner declined to comment.

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