Watchdog rejects mother's complaint over siblings not being allowed to join same school
A watchdog has declined to investigate a council over an admissions decision that saw two siblings unable to both go to the mother’s chosen school.
“Miss X”, as she is referred to in the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s anonymised report, didn’t want to send her two children to their local school because of its poor Ofsted rating.
One child got into “School Z”, her preferred school, but son “B” did not because his year-group was full.
Miss X appealed the decision, but an independent panel backed Telford & Wrekin Council’s decision, so she complained to the LGO.
The report author “understands Miss X’s disappointment” but says the panel followed the law in reaching its decision.
Summarising the case, the report says Miss X, has recently moved into the area, and applied for places at School Z, where Telford and Wrekin Council control admissions.
“Because there were no places in Year Four, the council could not offer B a place,” it says.
“Miss X appealed the decision.”
The report explains that independent appeals panel need to decide whether admitting a further child would “prejudice the provision of efficient education of the efficient use of resources” at the school in question.
If they think it would, the burden is then on the family making the appeal to present arguments that outweigh that.
“The clerk’s notes from the appeal show the school’s representative explained why B had not been offered a place,” the report says.
“The notes show what difficulties the school thought would be caused if B was offered a place.
“In her appeal, Miss X explained why she wanted B to attend School Z. She wanted her children to attend the same school. She did not want to send them to her catchment school because it had received a poor Ofsted inspection.
“The panel decided the evidence put forward by Miss X was not strong enough to outweigh the prejudice admitting a further child would cause the school.
“We are not an appeal body and cannot criticise decisions taken without fault. The evidence I have seen shows the panel followed the proper process to consider Miss X’s appeal. The decision to refuse Miss X’s appeal is one the panel was entitled to take.”
