Guru Nanak Sikh Secondary School, Hayes (08 005 300 + 4 others)

School admissions                      Maladministration causing injustice

12 March 2009

The Governors and Appeal Panel of Guru Nanak Sikh Secondary School, Hayes, did not handle admission applications or appeals in accordance with binding statutory codes. The Ombudsman said “The School’s disregard of its statutory duties has been significant” and listed nine points by which it breached the mandatory provisions of the Government’s Schools Admissions Code, and two breaches of the mandatory provisions of the Admissions Appeal Code by the Appeal Panel (see page 12 of report).

This report concerned complaints from five families who had been refused places for their children at the School from September 2008. The investigation considered whether they had been wrongly refused a place at the School and whether the admissions appeal panel had considered their appeals properly.

The Ombudsman said: “Despite the introduction by Parliament of two statutory codes with mandatory provisions, and an earlier Ombudsman report critical of how the School had administered its admission arrangements and admission appeals, limited regard appears to have been given by the Governors to their statutory duties.”

The Ombudsman identified very serious faults in how the admission procedures were conducted. As a result of significant failings it could not be concluded that the children of the five complainants should not have obtained a place at the School.

Remedy

At an early stage of the investigation, the Ombudsman proposed that the School offer places to each child. The Governors refused to act on this at the time, but did so after the report was issued for the three complainants who still wished their child to attend the School.

The School also undertook a fundamental review of its admission arrangements.

LGO satisfied with School's response: 10 July 2009

Date Updated: 11/12/09