Medway Council (18 013 426)

Statement Upheld School transport 21-Oct-2020

Summary: Mr B complains that the Council failed to safeguard his daughter when she was using transport it provided. He also says it failed to investigate when she returned from school with puncture wounds. The Ombudsman finds the Council took appropriate action in relation to Mr B’s concerns, but it failed to provide a formal response to his first complaint and the SEN team failed to contact him to discuss his request for support for his daughter. In recognition of the injustice caused, the Council has agreed that it will apologise to Mr B and that the SEN team will contact him about his request for support.

Surrey County Council (19 009 478)

Statement Upheld School transport 20-Oct-2020

Summary: the Ombudsman finds there was unnecessary delay by the Council in its handling of Mr T’s school transport appeal. The Council has agreed our proposed remedy for this fault.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council (19 013 109)

Statement Upheld School transport 16-Oct-2020

Summary: Mrs C complained about the Council’s decision to remove free school transport for her children when their needs have not changed. The Council failed to apply its policy correctly which meant it wrongly said Mrs C’s children did not qualify for transport assistance. The Council also failed to keep proper records of its decisions and failed to follow its appeal policy and Government guidance. Those errors meant Mrs C’s children missed more than five months of education as they could not get to school and it caused Mrs C significant distress and time and trouble. Payment to Mrs C, a payment to be used for the children’s education, training for officers dealing with school transport applications and a review of its policy is satisfactory remedy.

Essex County Council (19 016 036)

Statement Upheld School transport 06-Oct-2020

Summary: Mr X complained about repeated problems with the taxi transport the Council provided to take his son to school. There were failings in the transport arrangements causing distress and inconvenience to Mr X and his son. The Council has agreed a suitable remedy including a payment and some action to take in relation to the transport operator.

London Borough of Southwark (20 004 458)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School transport 06-Oct-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s decision not to provide her daughter with free transport to school. This is because the Council has now agreed to Mrs X’s request and so an investigation could not achieve anything more.

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (20 003 565)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School transport 05-Oct-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council is at fault in refusing his application and appeal for a financial contribution towards the cost of transporting his daughter to school. It is unlikely we would find fault on the Council’s part.

Northamptonshire County Council (19 017 602)

Statement Not upheld School transport 02-Oct-2020

Summary: Ms W complained her child, V, should continue to benefit from free home-to-school transport. She said the Council’s failure to consider this appropriately had caused her distress. The investigation has found no evidence of fault.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (19 016 696)

Statement Upheld School transport 02-Oct-2020

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has failed to properly consider his application and appeal for free school transport for his son. As result, his son has been denied access to free transport. The Council’s failure to comply with the statutory guidance on home to school transport without good reasons for departing from it amounts to fault. This fault has caused Mr X an injustice.

Worcestershire County Council (19 013 953)

Statement Upheld School transport 01-Oct-2020

Summary: There was fault by the Council in the way it considered Mrs X’s application and appeal for home to school transport. The Council wrongly adopted a blanket policy that all parents were responsible for delivering children to bus boarding points and did not take into account whether the route to the boarding point was safe or families’ individual circumstances. The fault caused Mrs X and her family injustice over an extended period. The Council also failed to provide Mrs X with an appeal that complied with the statutory guidance. Recommendations for an apology, financial remedy and service improvements are made.

Birmingham City Council (19 016 813)

Statement Upheld School transport 01-Oct-2020

Summary: Mr and Mrs B complain the Council refused their application for assistance with school transport for their daughter, X. They consider the Council did not properly consider her needs and the family’s circumstances. The decision meant X could not go to school. There was fault in the Council’s handling of the appeal. The Council has reviewed the decision and is providing transport. It will apologise and make a payment to Mr and Mrs B. It has also reviewed how it handles appeals.