Buckinghamshire Council (24 012 399)

Report Upheld Special educational needs 25-Feb-2026

Summary: The complainant (Mrs E) has two sons, who both have SEN. For one son the Council failed to provide them with speech and language therapy and occupational therapy included within their EHC Plan. For the other son, the Council also failed to provide him with speech and language therapy and failed to complete reviews of his EHC Plan in time. The investigation has highlighted systemic failings in the delivery of speech and language and occupational therapy services by the provider used by the Council to deliver these services to children with EHC Plans. This despite the Council having recommissioned that service and introduced a new strategy to meet the therapeutic needs of children with SEN in its area during 2024.

Buckinghamshire Council (25 022 150)

Report Upheld Special educational needs 25-Feb-2026

Summary: The complainant (Mrs E) has two sons, who both have SEN. For one son the Council failed to provide them with speech and language therapy and occupational therapy included within their EHC Plan. For the other son, the Council also failed to provide him with speech and language therapy and failed to complete reviews of his EHC Plan in time. The investigation has highlighted systemic failings in the delivery of speech and language and occupational therapy services by the provider used by the Council to deliver these services to children with EHC Plans. This despite the Council having recommissioned that service and introduced a new strategy to meet the therapeutic needs of children with SEN in its area during 2024.

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council (24 023 246)

Report Upheld School transport 10-Feb-2026

Summary: The Council failed to decide if it was “necessary” to provide appropriate free transport to enable Ms X’s adult daughter, Miss Y, to attend the college named in her Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. It confused matters for adult learners, like Miss Y, who began their course after the age of 19, with the education transport rules for sixth form students. The Council’s amended Transport Policy 2024/2025 was not in line with the Education Act 1996 or case law for 19–25 year old learners with an EHC Plan. The faults caused Ms X avoidable frustration, avoidable time and trouble and uncertainty to her and Miss Y.

North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (24 020 290)

Report Upheld Alternative provision 04-Feb-2026

Summary: We found the Council delayed for 13 months in arranging alternative educational provision from February 2024 after Mrs X’s child, Y, was unable to attend school. This is the second time we have found the Council at fault for failing to provide education to Y. This caused Y to miss out on a suitable education and caused Mrs X distress, frustration and uncertainty.

Coventry City Council (24 021 485)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 20-Jan-2026

Summary: Miss X said the Council had not delivered the speech and language therapy set out in her child’s Education, Health and Care Plan. We found there was fault by the Council and Miss X’s child had missed about eight months of therapy sessions. To address the impact on the child’s education and the distress caused to Miss X, the Council had apologised and taken corrective action. The Council also agreed to increase its offered symbolic payment to suitably address the injustice caused by its fault.

North Yorkshire Council (25 001 887)

Statement Not upheld Special educational needs 20-Jan-2026

Summary: The Council secured the provision in Mrs X’s child, Y's, EHC Plan and repeatedly attempted to engage with Mrs X, to put the provision in place. The Council was not at fault.

London Borough of Harrow (25 006 711)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School transport 20-Jan-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of home to school transport for Miss X’s brother. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council or significant personal injustice to warrant us investigating. Even if we did investigate, it would not lead to a worthwhile or significantly different outcome, and we will not look at complaint handling in isolation. Any new issues with the transport need to be put to the Council.

Surrey County Council (25 006 738)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 20-Jan-2026

Summary: We cannot investigate most of Mr X’s complaint about his child’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan because he appealed to a tribunal, and the law says we cannot investigate. We will not investigate his complaint about delays in the annual review process for the EHC Plan between 2018 and 2023 because it is late.

London Borough of Bexley (25 011 861)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Special educational needs 20-Jan-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about delays in the Education, Health and Care process regarding her child, Y, because the claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant an investigation. We will not investigate Miss X’s view that the Council failed to arrange alternative provision for Y because there is insufficient evidence of fault. We will not investigate the Council’s complaint handling because the tests in our assessment code are not met.

Essex County Council (25 015 736)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 20-Jan-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 proportionate remedy and this removes the need for us to investigate.