North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (24 013 096)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 05-Aug-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to arrange suitable alternative provision for her child, W, when they stopped attending school. The Council was at fault. This caused Mrs X avoidable frustration, upset and uncertainty but we cannot say, even on balance, that it meant W missed out on education they should have had. To remedy Mrs X’s injustice, the Council will apologise and pay her £500. It will also issue a staff reminder to prevent the fault happening again.

Bracknell Forest Council (24 002 890)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 04-Aug-2025

Summary: The Council took too long to issue an Education, Health and Care Plan for Mrs X’s daughter following an annual review in February 2024. She also complained her daughter was not provided with a suitable education during the period she was unable to attend school from November 2023. We found no fault. We found there were faults with the Council’s handling of the school phase transfer review, record keeping and failure to consult with Mrs X’s preferred school. The Council agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mrs X and S and review progress on improving its practice.

Wakefield City Council (24 012 296)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 03-Aug-2025

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to ensure her child D received suitable alternative education when out of school and delayed in reviewing their Education, Health, and Care Plan. There was no fault in how the Council considered its duty to provide alternative education. However, it did delay a review of D’s Education, Health, and Care Plan which caused Miss X distress. Miss X also complained the Council ended D’s Child in Need Plan when she felt the family still needed support. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify the Ombudsman investigating this issue further. However, the Council was at fault because it failed to consider Miss X’s complaint about this via the statutory complaints procedure for children’s social care services, which caused Miss X avoidable time and trouble. The Council agreed to apologise, pay a financial remedy, and issue reminders to its staff.

Cornwall Council (24 015 327)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 31-Jul-2025

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s actions when his son (Y) was de-registered from his school. He also complained about the Council’s failure to arrange alternative provision for Y when his parents withdrew from Elective Home Education and its failure to comply with the statutory timescales for Education Health and Care Plans. We found fault with the Council. This fault caused injustice to Mr X. The Council has agreed to apologise to Y and Mr X and to make symbolic payments to recognise the impact of its failings on Mr X.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (24 018 705)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 31-Jul-2025

Summary: Miss X complained about the lack of alternative provision provided to her child who has been off school for two years. Miss X said this caused unnecessary distress and impacted her child’s education. We found the Council at fault which caused Miss X and her child injustice. The Council has agreed to make a payment and apologise to Miss X.

Cheshire East Council (24 015 527)

Statement Not upheld Alternative provision 30-Jul-2025

Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to provide her child with education when they did not attend school due to anxiety, from May 2023 to date. We cannot investigate the period after November 2023 when the Council issued an Education, Health and Care Plan which Ms X appealed. The loss of education is too closely linked to the matters subject to appeal. For the period May to November 2023, we have found no fault.

Derbyshire County Council (24 017 437)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 27-Jul-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to ensure her son P and daughter R received suitable education and special educational needs support, after the family moved to the Council’s area. The Council failed to pay a financial remedy it promised Mrs X for education P and R missed in a previous school year; the Council agreed to now pay this. Fault by the Council also meant R missed education and special educational needs support in the next school year, Mrs X experienced avoidable time and trouble complaining, and the whole family experienced distress. The Council agreed to apologise and pay a financial remedy. It will also properly consider what education is suitable for R, and act to ensure it does not miss complaints and properly completes agreed complaint outcomes. I could not investigate parts of Mrs X’s complaint that were not the responsibility of the Council. I also could not consider issues which overlapped with an appeal she made to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) about P’s Education, Health, and Care Plan.

West Berkshire Council (25 001 850)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Alternative provision 25-Jul-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has failed to make alternative educational provision for the complainant’s son while he cannot attend school. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault on the Council’s part to warrant investigation.

Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council (24 016 967)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 23-Jul-2025

Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to provide suitable education for her child following their exclusion from school in November 2022. We found fault with the Council delaying putting in place alternative provision of education from 12 September 2023 until 25 September 2023. The Council agreed to apologise to Ms X and pay her £200 in recognition of for her child’s missed education.

North Yorkshire Council (25 002 850)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 23-Jul-2025

Summary: Miss X complained about the Council’s failure to ensure suitable education for her daughter (B) when she was out of school. We found fault in the way the Council discharged its Section 19 duty towards B. The Council’s fault caused injustice to Miss X as she paid for some provision for B and was distressed at the lack of the Council’s support. The Council has agreed to apologise and make payments to refund Miss X’s cost of arranging educational provision for B between March and June 2024 and to recognise her distress. In recent complaints we have recommended relevant service improvements, which we will monitor.