Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s involvement in a school’s Ofsted inspection. This is because the law prevents us from investigation what happens in schools.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains that the Council colluded with a school to ensure it failed its Ofsted inspection and had to be taken over by an Academy Trust.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate most complaints about what happens in schools. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5, paragraph 5(2), as amended)
4. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

5. I considered information provided by the complainant.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. I cannot investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is about what happened in a school. By law, such matters fall outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction. 
8. Ms X complained to the Council about how it dealt with safeguarding concerns in early 2024. We will not investigate this element of Ms X’s complaint because it is made late and I see no good reason why Ms X could not have complained to us sooner.

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Final decision

9. We cannot investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is about what happened in a school.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman