Recent statements in this category are shown below:
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Statement Upheld Special educational needs 18-Aug-2026
Summary: Miss Y says the Council failed to provide her son, Mr X’s, speech and language therapy (SALT), delayed the annual review of his Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan and did not provide suitable transport to his college. She says this distressed her and Mr X and caused Mr X to miss provision. The Council was at fault in failing to deliver EHC Plan provision and not properly managing Miss Y’s complaint. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a financial payment. We have not investigated Miss Y’s complaint about the delayed EHC Plan review because we have already investigated this as a separate complaint.
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Statement Upheld Special educational needs 18-Aug-2026
Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to provide alternative education provision to her son while he was unable to attend school. She also complained the Council failed to provide her son with the required special education provision during this period. Ms X also complained the Council delayed reviewing her son’s Education, Health and Care Plan and failed to consider its safeguarding duties. Ms X says the Council’s actions caused a deterioration in hers and her son’s mental health and left her son without a suitable education. We found fault by the Council. The Council has agreed to provide Ms X with an apology and a financial remedy and to provide training to relevant staff.
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Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (25 014 740)
Statement Upheld Special educational needs 18-Aug-2026
Summary: We found fault on Mr Y’s complaint about the Council failing to ensure his son received provision under his Education, Health, and Care plan, suitable alternative education when tuition stopped, and it failing to communicate with him properly. His son missed provision, there was a delay deciding to make suitable alternative education and then providing it, and poor communication. The Council agreed to send an apology, make symbolic payments, and review procedures.
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Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (25 016 945)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 18-Aug-2026
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s failure to provide her child Y with a suitable education. This is because Mrs X has used her right of appeal to the Tribunal and her complaint to us was too connected to her appeal.
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Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (26 001 594)
Statement Upheld Special educational needs 18-Aug-2026
Summary: We have found fault with the Council for not securing alternative provision for Miss X’s son, Z for the first term after he stopped attending school. This caused Z to miss education. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to Miss X.
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Staffordshire County Council (25 010 276)
Statement Upheld Special educational needs 17-Aug-2026
Summary: Mrs X complained the Council did not provide appropriate education to her daughter, Y, and that it failed to adhere to statutory timescales linked to assessment and review processes related to her special educational needs. We found fault because the Council took too long to issue Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan. It also took too long to arrange alternative education for her, failed to review her plan within the required timeframe and failed to review the alternative education in place. This caused Mrs X avoidable distress and meant Y missed out on education she should have received. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mrs X and share guidance with relevant staff.
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Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (25 012 613)
Statement Not upheld Special educational needs 17-Aug-2026
Summary: We have found the Council not at fault for failing to secure a suitable education for Y. The Council took appropriate actions to try and secure suitable provision but for reasons beyond the Council’s control, Y was unable to engage.
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Hertfordshire County Council (25 013 309)
Statement Not upheld Special educational needs 17-Aug-2026
Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to deliver provision in her son, Y’s, Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan. She says this distressed her family and Y missed provision. We are discontinuing our investigation. We have already investigated Mrs X’s complaint and cannot add anything to the previous investigation.
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Essex County Council (25 015 068)
Statement Not upheld Special educational needs 17-Aug-2026
Summary: There was no fault by the Council during the period that is in the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction to investigate. The Council put in place alternative provision and changed the provision three times when the child did not engage.
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Cambridgeshire County Council (25 016 061)
Statement Upheld Special educational needs 17-Aug-2026
Summary: Mr F complained the Council failed to secure a suitable education for his daughter. We found fault which caused uncertainty about what provision could have been made in 2024/25 and delay in putting alternative provision in place which caused a loss of provision for one term in 2025/26. The Council has agreed to apologise and make symbolic payments to remedy that injustice.