Summary: Mrs M complained the Council took too long to arrange alternative education for her daughter. There is not enough injustice to justify an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mrs M complains the Council took too long to arrange alternative education for her daughter, G. G last attended school on 5 February 2025.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

3. We cannot investigate most complaints about what happens in schools. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5, paragraph 5(2), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mrs M and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Between 5 February and 10 March 2025, Mrs M dealt with G’s school. We cannot investigate complaints about the school.
7. Mrs M contacted the Council’s children missing education team on 10 March 2025. She wanted the Council to arrange alternative education. The Council suggested a meeting with the school.
8. On 26 March 2025, the Council made enquiries.
9. On 25 April 2025, the Council agreed to arrange alternative education for G.
10. Alternative provision began on 12 May 2025.
11. Mrs M believes G should have received alternative provision much sooner.
12. The Council took approximately six weeks to arrange alternative provision once it became clear Mrs M and the school could not resolve their differences. This included the Easter school holidays. The injustice from any delay there may have been is not significant enough to justify our involvement, and there is no worthwhile outcome achievable.
13. Mrs M tells me the alternative provision ended in June. She is increasingly concerned for G’s welfare and says she has asked the Council to arrange accommodation. I cannot consider these matters because they happened after the Council’s final response. Mrs M could complain to the Council. The Council must have an opportunity to respond first.

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Final decision

14. We will not investigate Mrs M’s complaint because there is not enough injustice to justify an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman