Leicestershire County Council (19 017 864)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 12-Feb-2021

Summary: There is evidence of fault in how the Council dealt with matters relating to Ms C’ son’s Special Educational Needs (SEN). The Council has agreed to implement actions in order to remedy the injustice these faults caused.

Durham County Council (20 010 200)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 11-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about a potential data breach. This is because the Information Commissioner’s Office has already investigated the data breach and it is not a good use of public money to investigate complaints about complaint handling.

London Borough of Harrow (19 017 779)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 11-Feb-2021

Summary: The complainant alleged that the Council delayed in making the required special educational needs provision for his adult daughter, after a Tribunal decision, and the Council failed to consider its Equality Act duties when considering the complainant’s appeal against the refusal of free transport to College for his daughter. The Ombudsman found fault in the Council’s actions. The Council has agreed the recommended actions to remedy the injustice caused by the Council’s faults. We are therefore closing the complaint.

London Borough of Islington (20 009 872)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 11-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s delays in assessing and issuing a final Education, Health and Care Plan. This is because the complaint it is late with no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

Suffolk County Council (20 003 724)

Statement Upheld School transport 10-Feb-2021

Summary: the complainant complained the Council wrongly refused her application for home to school transport and refused to exercise discretion to allow her to appeal. The Council says it applied its home to school transport policy properly and did not offer an appeal because the appeal arrived after its deadline. We find the Council acted with fault and recommend a remedy.

St. Georges Primary School (20 005 524)

Statement Upheld School admissions 10-Feb-2021

Summary: The Ombudsman found fault by the school in the way it dealt with Mrs M’s request for an in-year place for her daughter. It failed to explain the process, offer her an application form, explain her appeal rights, and delayed forwarding her appeal form. The evidence failed to show the appeal panel properly considered the appeal or followed the correct procedure. The agreed action remedies the injustice these failures caused.

Suffolk County Council (20 010 207)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 09-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr C’s complaint about the Council’s failure to formally respond to his request for a reassessment of his daughter’s Education Health and Care needs. This is because the Council has now complied with Mr C’s request, and therefore any further investigation would not achieve a different outcome.

London Borough of Sutton (19 019 635)

Statement Upheld School transport 09-Feb-2021

Summary: Ms X complained that the Council agreed to help with home to school transport costs for her daughter but delayed in doing so and failed to respond to her emails. She said it also failed to fully respond to her complaint and put in place reasonable adjustments in view of her autism. Ms X suffered distress and inconvenience because of the Council’s failings. Her daughter also suffered distress and was unable to attend her autistic school. The Council has agreed to apologise to Ms X and make a payment in recognition of the injustice caused.

London Borough of Redbridge (20 009 539)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School admissions 09-Feb-2021

Summary: A parent complained about the Council’s handling of her application for a school place for her son. She also complained about the way the school admissions appeal panel dealt with her appeal about the refusal of a place at her preferred primary school. But we have no reason to start an investigation of these matters. This is because the Council has now offered a place at the school, and we could not achieve a more favourable outcome than that.

Telford & Wrekin Council (19 019 077)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 08-Feb-2021

Summary: Ms X complains the Council failed to find her son Y a suitable school placement, failed to offer appropriate education and then delayed making the school available for him to attend. Ms X complains the Council delayed making necessary changes to Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The Council has accepted it was at fault in delaying making the school available. It has apologised and taken suitable action including providing a tutor. We found fault as the Council also delayed issuing an amendment to the EHCP. The action taken by the Council has remedied any injustice caused to Ms X and Y, so we have completed our investigation.