Essex County Council (25 002 006)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 08-Dec-2025

Summary: The Council was at fault for failing to provide Miss X’s child Y with alternative educational provision and the specialist provision in their Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan when they stopped attending school. The Council was also at fault for failing to issue Y’s final amended EHC Plan within statutory timescales following the annual review. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to remedy the injustice caused.

City of Doncaster Council (25 002 178)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 08-Dec-2025

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to provide alternative education or a school place when her son was permanently excluded from school in June 2024. Miss X also complained about delays in reviewing and finalising her son’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan and poor communication. We found the Council’s failure to ensure Y received a suitable education for a term and a half is fault. As was the poor communication and failure to keep Miss X informed. This fault has caused Miss X and Y an injustice.

Warwickshire County Council (24 005 468)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 04-Dec-2025

Summary: We find the Council at fault for delays in the education, health and care plan review process, delays implementing alternative educational provision, poor complaint handling, and poor communication. This caused Miss X distress and frustration, and denied her appeal right. The Council will apologise and make a payment.

Cornwall Council (25 004 553)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 03-Dec-2025

Summary: Miss X complained the Council did not provide her son, Y, a suitable education after he was permanently excluded from his school. We have found the Council at fault. Y was without the education and support he needed. The Council has agreed to take action remedy his injustice.

Suffolk County Council (25 011 237)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Alternative provision 03-Dec-2025

Summary: We cannot investigate part of Ms X’s complaint about the decision not to make an Education, Health and Care Plan for her child because she appealed to the SEND Tribunal. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaints about arranging alternative provision or school transport for her child because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

Norfolk County Council (25 017 965)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Alternative provision 03-Dec-2025

Summary: We cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of an Education Health and Care Plan request as Miss X appealed to the Tribunal. We are unlikely to find fault in the Council’s provision of education.

Buckinghamshire Council (24 018 549)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 01-Dec-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council’s delays during the Education, Health and Care needs assessment process for her son. She also complained the Council failed to provide her son with suitable alternative provision. We find the Council was at fault for its delay in issuing Mrs X’s son’s Education, Health and Care Plan. It was also at fault for how it handled Mrs X’s son’s alternative provision. These faults caused Mrs X frustration and uncertainty, and Mrs X’s son missed out on provision. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X and make payments to her.

Staffordshire County Council (25 009 660)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Alternative provision 29-Nov-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council failed to make appropriate educational provision for the complainant’s child. This is because the complaint concerns matters about which the complainant had the right to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) or are closely related to such matters, and it was reasonable for her to do so.

Derbyshire County Council (24 015 560)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 28-Nov-2025

Summary: The Council has acknowledged that it took too long to issue a final Education Health and Care Plan for K, and to review the Plan. It also has acknowledged that it did not communicate with K’s mother, Ms X properly, or always deal with her complaints in good time. I have found that the Council also failed to properly consider its duty to make alternative educational provision when K could not go to school. The Council has agreed to apologise to Ms X and to K, and make a further symbolic payment in recognition of the impact on them of the further fault.

City of Doncaster Council (24 020 034)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 28-Nov-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council refused to provide section 19 alternative provision for her son, Y, who could not attend school for medical reasons. As a result, Y had no educational provision. We found the Council was at fault for the advice it gave Mrs X and the way it explained its decision. However, we did not find this caused significant injustice to Y as the fault did not affect the Council’s decision.