Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (23 015 926)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about a school’s decision to exclude his child from a school. This is because the matter relates to the internal management of a school, which falls outside of our jurisdiction.
The complaint
- The complainant, who I will call Mr X, says a teacher was bullying his child who has been excluded from school. He would like the child to attending school and wants his complaint investigated fairly.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- We cannot investigate complaints about what happens in schools. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5, paragraph 5(b), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- I cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint because it concerns a matter which relates to the management of a school. The internal management of schools fall outside of our jurisdiction.
Final decision
- We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint because the matters relate to the management of a school.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman