Surrey County Council (25 013 283)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 30-Jun-2026

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to provide the education provision listed in her child’s education, health and care plan. We found the Council at fault. It failed to fully provide the provision required which caused Miss X’s child avoidable distress and increased anxiety about being out of education. The Council has agreed to apologise and make payment to recognise the injustice caused.

Kent County Council (25 013 666)

Statement Not upheld Special educational needs 30-Jun-2026

Summary: Mr X complained the Council did not provide suitable education for his child when they could not attend college. He said the Council’s actions caused his child to miss out on education. We have ended our investigation into this complaint because Mr X complained about issues too closely linked to another of his previous complaints which we have already considered, and further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

East Sussex County Council (25 021 131)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 30-Jun-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to provide educational provision. This is because part of the complaint is closely related to issues which have been appealed to the tribunal. The Council has upheld the remaining issues and an investigation by the Ombudsman is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

North Northamptonshire Council (25 021 988)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 30-Jun-2026

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a school’s dealings with the Council. The school is a public body. The law prevents us from investigating complaints by public bodies.

Essex County Council (25 022 530)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 30-Jun-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about educational provision because it is reasonable for Mr X to appeal to the Tribunal. We are unlikely to find fault with the Council, and we cannot achieve the outcome Mr X wants.

Buckinghamshire Council (25 024 669)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 30-Jun-2026

Summary: We have upheld this complaint about the Council’s failure to complete an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment for Miss X’s child within the statutory timescale. The Council has agreed to provide a suitable remedy, and this removes the need for us to investigate.

West Sussex County Council (25 025 045)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 30-Jun-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about delays in the Education Health and Care Plan process. This is because the Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X and pay her £100 per month for the delay. We consider this an appropriate remedy and further investigation is therefore unlikely to achieve anything more.

Milton Keynes Council (25 026 479)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 30-Jun-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s refusal to carry out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment for his child. This is because Mr X used his right to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability).

Derby City Council (24 011 602)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 29-Jun-2026

Summary: We found fault on Miss Y’s complaint against the Council about it failing to monitor her son’s provision in his Education, Health and Care plan while out of school. It failed to show when it actioned the need for an Occupational Therapist assessment. It also failed to deal with her complaints as required by its complaints procedure. The Council agreed to make a symbolic payment to her, send an apology, ensure proper records are kept, carry out a review, and remind officers about the need to respond fully to our enquiries. There was no fault on her complaint about it failing to provide appropriate education.

Brighton & Hove City Council (25 008 329)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 29-Jun-2026

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to ensure her child, Y received a suitable education or the specialist provision in their Education, Health Care (EHC) Plan when they stopped attending school. The Council was at fault for failing to provide a suitable full-time education or the specialist provision in line with their EHC Plan between January 2025 and May 2025. The Council agreed to apologise to Miss X and make a payment to her to recognise Y’s missed education and for the distress and uncertainty caused.