Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about a school admissions appeal panel refusing to grant a school place. The Council has agreed to offer a fresh appeal with a new panel and we would achieve nothing more.

The complaint

1. Mrs X says the Council’s schools’ admissions appeals panel was wrong to refuse a place at School Y for Z.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Z was not allocated a place at their first preference secondary school. Mrs X appealed to the Council’s schools admissions appeal panel. It heard the case in April 2026. It refused to grant Z a place.
6. Mrs X complained to us. She says Z has a serious medical condition which means they need to be at a school close to Mrs X. Instead they have been allocated a place at a school much further away which she said could endanger Z.
7. The Council has told us that having reviewed the case, it has decided to offer a fresh appeal with a new panel. This is the usual remedy we seek if we find fault in a school admissions appeal which could have affected the decision. Our investigation is unlikely to achieve more than this.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because our investigation is unlikely to achieve more than the Council’s offer of a fresh appeal.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman