The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about delays in offering a school place as the Council has agreed to a proportionate way to resolve the complaint.
The complaint
Miss X says her child, D, missed education because the Council delayed in processing a school admission’s application.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions a council has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Miss X says she formally asked in June 2024 for a place in School Y to start at the beginning of term in September 2024. She says the Council did not offer a place until late September 2024. Miss X says she has learnt the place had been available since July but had not been offered to them. She says the delay led to the family employing a private tutor and caused problems to their working lives.
If we were to investigate it is likely we would find fault causing the complainant injustice because the Council has avoidably delayed in offering the school place which led to D missing a month’s education.
Agreed action
The Council has previously set out in its reply to Miss X service improvements to help prevent a reoccurrence.
The Council has agreed to a symbolic payment of £300 to reflect the injustice caused by the delay. This is a suitable remedy as it is inline with our Guidance on Remedies.
Final decision
We have upheld this complaint because the Council has agreed to resolve the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused to Miss X.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman