Lancashire County Council (24 018 703)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 23-Sep-2025

Summary: Ms X complained about the Council’s handling of her child Y’s Education Health and Care Plan. She complained the Council failed to decide whether to amend the plan before 2024, failed to meet statutory timescales when it decided to amend the plan in 2024, and had poor standards of communication and complaint handling. We cannot investigate the matters before 2024 because they are late, but we find the Council at fault for missing statutory deadlines and for its communication and complaint handling from 2024 onwards. The faults caused Ms X and Y significant distress, uncertainty, frustration and time and trouble. The Council agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to remedy the injustice.

Essex County Council (24 019 303)

Statement Upheld School transport 23-Sep-2025

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council has not dealt properly with school transport for her son, causing distress and financial loss. The Council is at fault because it did not initially respond to Mrs X’s complaints and did not properly consider whether transport for Y was suitable. Mrs X suffered distress and financial loss. The Council should apologise, pay Mrs X £150 for time and trouble, backdate Y’s travel allowance, pay Mrs X £250 for avoidable distress, review Y’s transport provision and review its policy.

North Yorkshire Council (24 019 339)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 23-Sep-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council delayed completing Z’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and issuing his EHC plan. Mrs X also complained the Council failed to provide Z with suitable alternative education provision, in line with its section 19 duty, and failed to communicate effectively. We have found the Council acted with fault. This caused Z an injustice in the form of missed education provision. This also caused avoidable distress and time and trouble. The Council has agreed to provide a written apology. The Council has also agreed to pay financial remedies to recognise Z’s loss of suitable education provision and Mrs X’s avoidable time and trouble. There are parts of Mrs X's complaint we have not investigated. We explain why in our decision statement.

North Yorkshire Council (24 019 342)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 23-Sep-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council delayed completing P’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and issuing her EHC plan. Mrs X also complained the Council failed to provide P with suitable alternative education provision, in line with its section 19 duty, and failed to communicate effectively. We have found the Council acted with fault. This caused P an injustice in the form of missed education provision. This also caused avoidable distress and time and trouble. The Council has agreed to provide a written apology. The Council has also agreed to pay financial remedies to recognise P’s loss of suitable education provision and Mrs X’s avoidable time and trouble. There are parts of Mrs X's complaint we have not investigated. We explain why in our decision statement.

Nottinghamshire County Council (24 020 005)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 23-Sep-2025

Summary: We found fault on Miss Y’s complaint about the Council failing to provide her son with a suitably qualified and trained tutor, experienced in working with young people with autism and anxiety. It failed to show it considered whether the tutor was appropriately trained. Nor did it show steps it took to find an alternative tutor when alerted to the tutor’s shortcomings. The Council agreed to send her an apology for the failings found and remind relevant officers of the need to check whether tutors meet specified criteria and to consider whether it, or the provider, could act to resolve the problem. It would also remind officers of the need to promptly look for an alternative tutor where criteria are not met. There was no fault on Miss Y’s complaint about it failing to reimburse her when she paid the second tutor’s shortfall in wages when changing employer. This was a contractual matter for the tutor and employer.

Norfolk County Council (24 013 870)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 23-Sep-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide her son, Y, with suitable education and support during the 2023/24 academic year. We found the Council was at fault for not arranging alternative provision when Y stopped attending school in January 2024, and for delays in issuing the outcome of his annual review and responding to correspondence. This meant Y missed education for around a term and a half at a critical stage, and Mrs X experienced avoidable frustration and uncertainty. The Council has agreed to our recommendations.

North Northamptonshire Council (24 017 782)

Statement Upheld School transport 23-Sep-2025

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to properly apply its home-to-school transport policy and explain its decisions. Miss X also said the Council’s policy was inadequate. She said this meant the Council made an incorrect decision about her application for transport assistance. We have found the Council at fault for its deficient policy and for relying on incorrect information when it made its decision. This caused Miss X uncertainty when making her application. This also caused uncertainty about whether the appeal panel would have made a different decision. The Council has agreed to apologise and arrange a new stage two appeal panel to consider Miss X's appeal again. The Council has already amended its published home-to-school transport policy and we make no further recommendations in respect of this.

North Yorkshire Council (24 018 585)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 23-Sep-2025

Summary: The Council delayed taking the action it said it would at mediation to resolve a dispute with Ms X about her child’s education. This was fault. This fault caused Ms X frustration and the Council has agreed to apologise, pay Ms X £200 and take action to prevent recurrence of this fault in future. However we have not investigated the suitability of the education Ms X’s child received, because this issue carried a right of appeal to a tribunal which it was reasonable for Ms X to use.

Surrey County Council (25 003 208)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 23-Sep-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to award travel assistance to Miss X’s child Y. This is because the Council has remedied any injustice Miss X experienced by providing her with a personal travel budget, which she has accepted.

Cornwall Council (25 004 326)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Alternative provision 23-Sep-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Ms M’s complaint about arrangements for her daughter G’s education because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.