Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the refusal of admission to the complainant’s preferred school for her son. This is because he now has a place at the school so an investigation would not achieve anything further as an outcome.

The complaint

1. The complainant, who I refer to here as Miss D, says that the Independent Appeal Panel (IAP) hearing her appeal against admission to her preferred school did not consider her case properly.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we believe it is unlikely we would find fault. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered the information provided by Miss D and by the School.

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What I found

4. Miss D applied for a place for her son at her preferred school for him, for September 2020. The application was refused, as was her appeal.
5. Miss D complained to the Ombudsman, as she felt that the IAP did not consider properly her case, in particular relating to her son’s medical needs.
6. I will not investigate the complaint however, as Miss D has now been offered a place for her son at the School, and there is nothing further that an investigation would achieve.

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Final decision

7. I will not investigate this complaint as Miss D has already achieved the outcome she was seeking.

Investigator’s decision on behalf of the Ombudsman

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman