Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint from a parent about the school admission appeal panel’s decision to turn down her appeal concerning a place for her daughter at an academy school. This is because the law prevents us from considering complaints about appeals for academies.

The complaint

1. The complainant, to whom I refer as Miss A, complains about the school appeal process for her daughter. She says that delays in the appeal and the preferred school’s refusal to offer her daughter a place caused them significant anxiety.

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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. In particular, we investigate complaints about councils and certain other bodies. But we cannot investigate the actions of bodies such as school academies, or school admission appeal panels which consider appeals for academies.

(Local Government Act 1974, sections 25 and 34A, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the school appeal documents.
5. I established that the school against whose decision Miss A appealed is an Academy. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) considers complaints about appeals for school academies.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman