Kent County Council (20 004 533)

Statement Not upheld Covid-19 15-Jun-2021

Summary: We did not uphold a complaint by four parents about the Council’s decision not to refund the cost of travel passes they bought for their children to get to school. The parents say they were unable to use the passes from March to July 2020 when schools were closed because of COVID-19. There was no evidence of fault in the Council’s decision to offer a goodwill payment instead of a refund.

Kent County Council (20 004 564)

Statement Not upheld Covid-19 15-Jun-2021

Summary: We did not uphold a complaint by four parents about the Council’s decision not to refund the cost of travel passes they bought for their children to get to school. The parents say they were unable to use the passes from March to July 2020 when schools were closed because of COVID-19. There was no evidence of fault in the Council’s decision to offer a goodwill payment instead of a refund.

Kent County Council (20 001 822)

Statement Not upheld Covid-19 07-Jun-2021

Summary: We did not uphold Mr and Mrs X’s complaint about an unsuccessful school appeal for their son. There was no fault in the Council’s decision to hold appeals based on written submissions and the appeal panel took account of the evidence Mr and Mrs X provided.

Lancashire County Council (21 001 862)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Covid-19 07-Jun-2021

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about an unsuccessful appeal for a school place. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the panel and so we cannot question the merits of its decision.

Archbishop Blanch School (20 004 888)

Statement Upheld Covid-19 04-Jun-2021

Summary: There was fault in the process followed by the independent appeal panel, for admissions to Year 7 of this school in September 2020. This did not cause the complainant a personal injustice, but it may have affected other appeals. However, we consider it would be disproportionate to recommend a repeat of the appeals process for the 2020 intake, and the School has already changed its appeal process for its 2021 intake, which means the same faults should not recur.

Surrey County Council (20 007 451)

Statement Upheld Covid-19 27-May-2021

Summary: Mr and Mrs X complain about delays in holding their appeal for a place for their child at an infant school and how the appeal panel considered their appeal. The Council is not at fault for the time taken to hold Mr and Mrs X’s appeal. There is also no evidence of fault in how the appeal panel considered Mr and Mrs X’s appeal. However, the Council is at fault for the delay in providing the appeal panel’s detailed reasons for its decision and for not notifying Mr and Mrs X of the delays in holding their appeal. But these faults did not cause significant injustice to Mr and Mrs X to warrant further action from the Council.

Essex County Council (20 004 360)

Statement Upheld Covid-19 25-May-2021

Summary: Mrs X complained about how the Council dealt with assessing her son’s Education Health and Care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and says he missed out on education and support as a result. The Council followed national advice and guidance on carrying out assessments and so it was not at fault. There was some fault in the way it communicated with Mrs X. The Council has agreed a suitable remedy.

Leeds City Council (20 006 129)

Statement Upheld Covid-19 14-May-2021

Summary: We upheld Mr X’s complaint about an unsuccessful school admissions appeal for his son. There was fault in how the panel considered Mr X’s appeal which created uncertainty about how it decided his case. To remedy the injustice, the Council agreed to offer Mr X a fresh appeal with a different panel and clerk.

Wright Robinson College (20 007 667)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Covid-19 10-May-2021

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint, about a school admissions appeal panel’s decision not to allow the complainant’s appeal. This is because the school is now an academy, which means it is outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.

Salford City Council (20 007 016)

Statement Not upheld Covid-19 05-May-2021

Summary: Mr C complained that the way the Council managed the waiting list for the school of his choice meant his child, B, lost out on a place. He wanted an independent appeal panel to consider this but felt it failed to properly appreciate the case he was making. I have found no evidence of fault by either the Council or the independent appeal panel. The Council has said it will ask applicants for proof of address when they apply for schools from 2022.