Essex County Council (21 002 413)

Category: Education Date: 10-Feb-2022

Summary

Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to promptly reinstate school transport for his disabled child and poor complaint handling. We have found the Council was at fault because it did not carry out a proper assessment of risk and did not respond to his complaint properly. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mr X to acknowledge the distress caused and review its practices.

Service improvements

Essex County Council (21 002 061)

Category: Education Date: 25-Feb-2022

Summary

Mrs A complains the Council has not provided the travel payments agreed to support her son to attend school. Mrs A complains the Council has not considered her son’s Special Educational Needs in its decision not to provide the agreed travel. This meant she had to pay out of pocket to bring her son to school when the Council should have partially funded travel. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council for failing to apply a consistent approach to its discretionary travel policy for Child X. The Ombudsman recommends the Council reconsider Mrs A’s requests without fault and pay Mrs A a financial sum in recognition of the distress and uncertainty. It should also consider service improvements.

Service improvements

Essex County Council (21 001 120)

Category: Education Date: 11-Nov-2021

Summary

Miss X complained the school transport the Council provided for her son is not suitable for his needs. Based on the information I have seen, there was fault in how the Council decided the transport provided for Y was suitable. It agreed to review its decision and give Miss X the opportunity to speak to the decision maker. It also agreed to review its practices for driver training.

Service improvements

Essex County Council (21 000 281)

Category: Education Date: 07-Sep-2021

Summary

Mrs X complained the Council wrongly refused to provide free school transport for her daughter, D, from September 2020. The Council accepted it did not direct Mrs X to its policy so she was not aware she could make verbal representations during her appeal. The Council agreed to accept a fresh appeal from Mrs X and give her the opportunity to make verbal representations. The Council also agreed to amend the wording in its policy that requires appeals to always be made in writing.

Service improvements

Essex County Council (20 007 476)

Category: Education Date: 27-Oct-2021

Summary

We found fault with the Council’s handling of Mrs X’s daughter’s home to school transport. The Council failed to ensure the taxi operator it commissioned was complying with guidance related to COVID-19. The Council agreed to apologise to Mrs X and her daughter and pay a mileage allowance for the days Mrs X drove her to school.

Service improvements

Essex County Council (20 000 086)

Category: Education Date: 30-Jul-2021

Summary

Mr B complained the Council failed to hold an annual review for his son for more than two years, failed to implement the provision in his son’s education, health and care plan, failed to provide his son with education while he was out of school, refused to allow his representative to attend an annual review meeting, issued several versions of the education, health and care plan which were inconsistent with what had been discussed, delayed issuing a final plan and failed to take action on safeguarding concerns. There is no fault in how the Council handled the safeguarding concerns or in relation to the representative attending an annual review meeting. The Council delayed holding an annual review for the education, health and care plan, failed to ensure all the provision in the plan was implemented and delayed issuing the final plan. An apology, payment to Mr B to reflect his time and trouble and the education his son missed and review of the procedure for handling annual reviews for education, health and care plans is satisfactory remedy.

Service improvements