Leeds City Council (24 004 918)

Statement Upheld School admissions 03-Mar-2025

Summary: Mr X complained the Council’s school admissions appeal panel used false information when deciding about his daughter’s (F) secondary school application. We found fault in the way the school admissions appeal panel made its decision. This fault caused confusion and distress to Mr X and his mother (Mrs Y) but did not affect the outcome of the appeal. The Council has agreed to apologise, to update F’s secondary school application and to make symbolic payments for Mr X’s and Mrs Y’s distress. The Council has also agreed to carry out some service improvements.

West Sussex County Council (24 006 289)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 25-Feb-2025

Summary: Miss Y complained about the way the Council dealt with her application, and appeal, for an infant school place for her child. She also complained children’s services should have advised her to amend the application to include the category of exceptional and compelling need. We have not found fault by the Council.

Kent County Council (24 005 775)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 17-Feb-2025

Summary: We have ended our investigation into Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of her son’s school admissions appeal. There is nothing more we could achieve by further investigation.

Cheshire East Council (24 015 724)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School admissions 11-Feb-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs Y’s complaint about how the Council responded to her Freedom of Information request because the Information Commissioner’s Office is better placed to investigate.

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (24 017 693)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School admissions 07-Feb-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an unsuccessful appeal for a school place. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the panel for us to be able to question its decision.

Gloucestershire County Council (24 018 465)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School admissions 06-Feb-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about an unsuccessful appeal for a school place. Since bringing her complaint to us, the Council has agreed to offer Ms X a fresh appeal. This is the outcome she wants and an investigation by us would achieve nothing more.

London Borough of Redbridge (24 008 057)

Statement Upheld School admissions 30-Jan-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained about the appeal panel’s decision to refuse her son a school place at his preferred secondary school. We find fault with how the panel considered Mrs X’s appeal. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to address the injustice caused by fault.

Gloucestershire County Council (24 007 540)

Statement Upheld School admissions 28-Jan-2025

Summary: We found fault on Mr Y’s complaint about the appeal panel failing to follow proper procedure when it rejected his appeal against the Council’s decision, as admission authority, to refuse his son a place at his preferred school. There was a failure to show the panel properly considered the prejudice case and how it balanced this against Mr Y’s submissions. The agreed action remedies the injustice caused.

Sheffield City Council (24 016 042)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School admissions 22-Jan-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr Y’s transfer request to another college. This is because any fault has not caused a significant enough injustice to justify our involvement.

Redruth School (24 004 701)

Statement Upheld School admissions 14-Jan-2025

Summary: Mr X complained the admission authority gave him misleading information about a letter to support his child Y’s application and about how it made its decision not to offer them a place at the School. Mr X further complained the appeal panel did not properly consider the additional evidence he provided when it decided not to uphold his appeal. There was fault in the admissions appeal panel which caused Mr X and Y uncertainty about whether their appeal was properly heard. The admission authority will apologise to Mr X and hold a new appeal hearing and provide training for its clerk and panel members.