Redcar & Cleveland Council (20 009 561)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 08-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about court action because of her daughter’s non-attendance at school. This is because we cannot consider complaints about what happened in court.

London Borough of Lambeth (20 009 607)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Alternative provision 08-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint that the Council is at fault in failing to secure educational provision for his daughter. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault on the Council’s part.

Leeds City Council (20 003 940)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 05-Feb-2021

Summary: there was no fault in the way an Independent Appeal Panel made its decision not to admit Ms M’s daughter to a secondary school.  The Ombudsman cannot question decisions made without fault.

St George's CoE School (Broadstairs) (20 001 277)

Statement Upheld Covid-19 05-Feb-2021

Summary: We upheld Miss X’s complaint about an unsuccessful school appeal for her son. While there was no fault in the Admission Authority’s approach to holding appeals, there were errors in its record keeping and decision letter. This caused uncertainty for Miss X about how the panel reached its decision. The Admission Authority agreed to apologise to Miss X and remind clerks of the requirements for note taking and decision letters.

North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (20 004 661)

Statement Upheld Covid-19 05-Feb-2021

Summary: Mr Q complained an independent appeals panel had failed to properly consider his appeal for a school place for his son, R. This had caused the family significant distress. There is evidence of fault but not that caused injustice to Mr Q.

Cornwall Council (19 008 091)

Report Upheld Alternative provision 21-Jan-2021

Summary: Mr F’s son, B, suffers from anxiety. Mr F complained the Council did not provide education for B when he was unable to attend school due to illness. B missed education because of a flaw in the service designed by the Council to fulfil its duties to children unable to attend school. The Council “outsourced” its responsibilities to schools and did not retain sufficient oversight and control. This meant the Council was either unaware or not in a position to act when things went wrong.  The Council relied on B’s school to make decisions about B’s education. When attempts to secure B’s return to school failed, the Council should have arranged suitable education for him. The service designed by the Council failed. B was without education for four months as a result.

Somerset County Council (18 010 275)

Report Upheld Special educational needs 08-Jan-2021

Summary: Ms X complains of failures by the Council to meet her son, Mr Z’s special educational and care needs, causing significant distress to her family. While there was no fault in the SEN matter, the Council failed to properly consider the safeguarding risks to Mr Z’s younger siblings repeatedly raised by Ms X. This went on for almost three years, causing her distress and leading to the younger siblings suffering repeated unprovoked violent assaults by Mr Z, who was much larger than them, as well as fear of further attacks.

Nottingham City Council (18 018 188)

Report Upheld School transport 10-Nov-2020

Summary: Miss B complains that; the Council unreasonably refused to provide home to school transport for her son C to his previous school and the special academy for pupils with moderate learning difficulties named in his Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP); the Council failed to take proper account of the difficulty C has walking long distances due to his hypermobility, or his diagnoses of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) which make it difficult for him to use regular public transport; as a result, in order to get C to and from school, she has had to pay £400 a month to take C in a private taxi; this put her into debt on her utility bills and she was no longer able to afford the cost of a taxi for C; and  this in turn has severely affected his school attendance and his social and educational development.

Surrey County Council (19 016 358)

Report Upheld School transport 04-Nov-2020

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council failed to tell her she had to apply for post 16 transport for her son, Y, causing her financial loss and Y to miss the start of school.

Leicestershire County Council (19 004 977)

Report Upheld Other 21-Oct-2020

Summary: Councils are required by law to secure between 570 and 1,140 hours of free childcare over no fewer than 38 weeks for qualifying children in their area. This is known as the Free Early Education Entitlement. Leicestershire County Council has an agreement with Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool in Market Harborough to deliver the Free Early Education Entitlement. Mr F complains he was charged a “top-up” by Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool in Market Harborough for childcare that should have been free. Both Kiddi Caru and the Council dismissed his complaint.