School admissions

Leicester City Council (19 007 399)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 21-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr F complains a school admission appeals panel failed to properly consider his appeal for a place for his son, G. There is no evidence of fault.

St. Bedes Catholic Junior School (19 004 536)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 14-Oct-2019

Summary: Miss B complained about the way her appeal against the refusal of a school place for her daughter, C, was handled. We cannot find fault with the actions of the appeal panel.

Kent County Council (19 004 268)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 11-Oct-2019

Summary: Mrs X complains the admissions appeals panel did not properly consider her son's appeal for a grammar school place. From the evidence seen, the Ombudsman does not find fault in how the admissions appeals panel considered the appeal.

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (19 005 220)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 11-Oct-2019

Summary: Miss X complains about the way the Council managed the process which considered her daughter's school admissions appeal. She says the panel which heard the appeal considered the information her daughter's father had submitted, but not the information she had submitted. She also questions why her daughter was not awarded a place when some became available, given her position on the waiting list. The Ombudsman has found the Council was not at fault because the panel considered all the information that Miss X submitted in support of her daughter's case that was relevant to the appeal before deciding to reject it.

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (19 007 772)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 08-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr F complained about the way in which an independent admission appeals panel considered his appeal for a place at Z School. Mr F has now moved house, submitted a new application for a place at Z School which was refused and so now has a fresh right of appeal. This investigation is discontinued as any finding of fault about the original appeal would be remedied by a fresh appeal and Mr F already has this. So further investigation cannot achieve a better outcome than Mr F already has and there is nothing to be gained by pursuing the complaint now.

Notre Dame College (19 004 639)

Statement Upheld School admissions 08-Oct-2019

Summary: Miss D complained about the decision of an Independent Appeal Panel to refuse her daughter a place at her chosen school. The Ombudsman has found fault in the way this appeal was conducted. To remedy the injustice caused, the school has offered a fresh appeal.

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (19 007 445)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 08-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr F complained about the way in which an independent admission appeals panel considered his appeal for a place at Q School. Mr F has now moved house, submitted a new application for a place at Q School which was refused and so now has a fresh right of appeal. This investigation is now discontinued as any finding of fault about the original appeal would be remedied by a fresh appeal and Mr F already has this. So further investigation cannot achieve a better outcome than Mr F already has and there is nothing to be gained by pursuing the complaint now.

London Borough of Redbridge (19 005 222)

Statement Upheld School admissions 07-Oct-2019

Summary: Mrs D complains there were flaws in the procedure followed by a school admission appeal panel. We uphold the complaint finding the panel did not follow the correct decision making process for selective school appeals. We consider this may have affected the outcome of the appeal. The Council has agreed these findings and arranged a fresh appeal.

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (19 005 800)

Statement Not upheld School admissions 07-Oct-2019

Summary: There was no fault in how the Council's school admissions appeal panel considered this appeal for a Reception class place. The Ombudsman has therefore completed his investigation.

London Borough of Redbridge (19 005 299)

Statement Upheld School admissions 07-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr K complained the Council wrongly measured the distance from his home to his nearest primary school when it refused his child a place at the school. We found fault agreeing this to be the case and finding an independent education appeal panel failed to correct the decision on appeal. The Council agreed to make a place available at the school for Mr K's child which remedied the injustice caused by its error.