Recent reports in this category are shown below:
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Hertfordshire County Council (22 018 018)
Statement Upheld Special educational needs 30-Jan-2024
Summary: Mr and Mrs Y complained the Council failed to secure the special educational provision set out in their child, Child Z’s, Education, Health and Care Plan and communicated poorly with them. The Council was at fault. The Council will apologise and pay Mr and Mrs Y a total of £300 for the distress, frustration and uncertainty caused by the delays and pay £3,150 to acknowledge the impact of the missed provision.
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Wokingham Borough Council (23 004 717)
Statement Upheld Special educational needs 30-Jan-2024
Summary: Mr X complains the Council failed to deliver Speech and Language Therapy to his son, Y, as per his Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). We have concluded our investigation having made a finding of fault. Although we have not found fault regarding the Council becoming aware, we found it did not deliver provision as per Y’s EHCP. The Council have proposed a suitable remedy and have agreed to complete the actions.
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North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (23 003 683)
Statement Upheld Alternative provision 30-Jan-2024
Summary: Miss X complained about the Council’s failure to provide alternative education and delay in issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan. We have found the Council to be at fault. We have also found fault with the Council’s complaint handling. To remedy Miss X’s injustice, the Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to her to acknowledge her distress and her daughter’s period of missed education and specialist support. It will also take action to improve its service.
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Kent County Council (23 005 537)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 30-Jan-2024
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council delayed issuing an Education Health and Care plan. This is because the complainant has appealed to a tribunal. The contents of the plan is therefore not something the Ombudsman can consider. Any injustice caused by the delay in issuing the plan cannot be quantified until the outcome of the appeal is known.
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Hertfordshire County Council (23 008 140)
Statement Upheld Alternative provision 30-Jan-2024
Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide education for her child since their exclusion from school in September 2022. Mrs X also complained the Council delayed in find a new school placement for their child. We did not find fault with the Council delaying in finding a new school placement. But, we did find fault with the Council failing to provide education for Mrs X’s child for nearly a full term while it looked for a new school. The Council agreed to provide an apology to Mrs X and pay her £1,800 for her child’s missed education.
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Statement Upheld Special educational needs 30-Jan-2024
Summary: Mr X complained the Council proposed an inadequate and inappropriate Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan for his child. He also complained the Council was incompetent and unprofessional in its handling of further drafts. We found fault with the Council for delaying production of the EHC Plan. We also found fault with delays in the Council’s complaint handling. The Council agreed to make a symbolic payment to Mr X £250 for the impact its fault had on him.
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Hertfordshire County Council (23 014 472)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 30-Jan-2024
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Education Health and Care Plan process for the complainant’s daughter. The Council was at fault, but it is unlikely we would recommend an additional remedy. Ms X can appeal to a tribunal, and this can give her the outcome she wants. An investigation by the Ombudsman cannot.
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Essex County Council (23 014 547)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 30-Jan-2024
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about matters of educational provision and social care assistance. The complaint about matters before 2023 is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now. The complaint about educational provision is not separable from matters where Miss X used her right of appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. There is no evidence Miss X has complained to the Council about matters of social care provision since January 2023 or since the Tribunal hearing. Once she has done so, she would be welcome to return to us promptly about those matters.
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Oxfordshire County Council (23 017 098)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Alternative provision 30-Jan-2024
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council labelling her child as missing from education. This has not caused sufficient injustice to warrant an investigation.
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Peterborough City Council (23 015 819)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries School admissions 30-Jan-2024
Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about how the Council handled her applications for school places for her children. This is because Miss X’s children have now been offered places at her preferred school and so we could not achieve anything more.