The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that a school has failed to implement appropriate support for a child to attend. This is because we are unable to investigate the internal management of schools.
The complaint
Miss X complains that her child’s school has failed to put appropriate support in place to facilitate her attendance.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
We cannot investigate most complaints about what happens in schools. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5, paragraph 5(2), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
We cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is about what happened in her child’s school. The law says we cannot consider complaints about the conduct, curriculum, internal management, or discipline in schools. Miss X’s complaint is outside our jurisdiction with no discretion to investigate.
Final decision
We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is about the internal management of schools.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman