Service improvements

Durham County Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2026

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 1 - 8 of 8 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Durham County Council as a CSV file.

  • Durham County Council (25 007 651)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Feb-2026

    Summary

    Mrs X complained how the independent appeal panel dealt with her appeal for a school place for her son. We find some fault in the clerk’s notes about the stage one process. This did not cause Mrs X a significant injustice. However, the Council has agreed to our recommendation to implement a service improvement to prevent a recurrence of the fault.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to issue written reminders to clerks to ensure they properly record the panel’s decision at stage one of the school admissions appeals process.

  • Durham County Council (24 008 210)

    Category: Education Date: 12-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to ensure her child D, a young adult with disabilities, received suitable education and support for their special educational needs. There was fault by the Council which caused D to miss special educational needs support. It also caused distress to D and Mrs X. The Council agreed to apologise and pay a financial remedy. It will also review why it delayed in completing an Education, Health, and Care needs assessment in D’s case and produce an action plan to prevent recurrence of the same fault.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review why it delayed in completing an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) needs assessment and finalising the EHC Plan. It will produce a dated action plan to prevent recurrence of the same faults in future.

  • Durham County Council (24 007 979)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Jan-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained about the Council’s actions when carrying out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment for her child. Mrs X said this meant her child had to wait longer than they should for an Education, Health and Care Plan. We found the Council at fault for the time taken to carry out the Education, Health and Care needs assessment. To remedy the injustice caused the Council agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mrs X for the distress caused and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    Provide the Ombudsman with an update as to what specific action it is taking to reduce the backlog of assessments waiting for advice from Educational Psychologists.Stop routinely applying the exemption where an educational institution is closed for at least four weeks. The Council should only apply this when it is relevant and the delays completing the assessment are due to it being unable to receive advice in time from the educational provider. The Council should provide evidence to the Ombudsman as to what steps it has taken to stop this exemption being routinely applied to all cases with delays.

  • Durham County Council (22 006 410)

    Category: Education Date: 23-Jan-2023

    Summary

    Mrs B complained that the Council in respect of her son C’s special educational needs, failed to provide adequate full-time education when he was unable to attend school, delayed in carrying out an adequate social care assessment or provide social support to enable a successful transition to college, and failed to communicate properly with her throughout this period. We found fault with the Council’s actions. The Council has agreed to increase its payment to Mrs B and C and improve its monitoring of alternative education provision.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed, within three months, to review themonitoring of alternative educational provision to ensure it regularly assesses if the provision remains suitable.

  • Durham County Council (22 002 850)

    Category: Education Date: 08-Dec-2022

    Summary

    Mrs X complained about how the appeal panel considered her appeal for her child at a preferred school. There were some faults in how the panel considered Mrs X’s appeal. As a result, Mrs X cannot be satisfied the appeal process was carried out fairly. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council will arrange a fresh appeal with a different panel and clerk for the hearing.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to:•by training or other means remind panels of the need to consider and satisfy themselves at stage 1 that the admission arrangements were correctly applied, in line with statutory guidance•by training or other means remind clerks of the need to record robust and clear reasons for the panel’s decision at both stages of the appeal process.

  • Durham County Council (21 012 182)

    Category: Education Date: 22-May-2022

    Summary

    Mrs B says the Council unreasonably refused her request for alternative transport for her daughter to get to school. The Council’s process for considering school transport appeals does not comply with Government guidance. A change to the Council’s school transport policy and arrangement for a further appeal for Mrs B is satisfactory remedy.

    Service improvements

    The Council has reviewed its school transport policy, which now complies with Government guidance.

  • Durham County Council (21 008 663)

    Category: Education Date: 02-Mar-2022

    Summary

    Mr X complained that the Council failed to provide suitable home to school transport. There was no fault in the Council’s decision making. It offered Mr X’s child a door-to-door taxi, which was suitable for the child’s needs. The Council was not legally required to offer transport that fitted around Mr X’s work or the family’s arrangements for their other children to get to school. There was some fault in the Council’s complaint handling for which it has offered Mr X a suitable time and trouble payment.

    Service improvements

    The Council's transport appeal arrangements are not in line with Government Guidance, the Council should consider this as part of its current review of its home to school transport policy.

  • Durham County Council (21 002 942)

    Category: Education Date: 25-Jan-2022

    Summary

    Mrs C complained the Council wrongly refused her daughter free school transport when she moved to a new school. The Council has since agreed to provide Mrs C’s daughter with free school transport. However, we found the Council at fault for failing to provide a school transport appeal process for Mrs C as set out in the Government’s statutory guidance. The Council agreed to apologise to Mrs C for the uncertainty this caused and review its school transport policy.

    Service improvements

    b)review its Home to Primary, Secondary and Special School Transport Policy to ensure it provides an appeal process as set out in the Government’s Home to School, travel and transport statutory guidance.

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