Mr A complained because he was unhappy with the actions and complaint response from Vale of Glamorgan Council in respect of a secondary school.
The Ombudsman decided that the Council’s complaint response considered Mr A’s concerns in line with limitations in respect of what it can consider for complaints against schools. The Council had reviewed the school’s complaints procedure and determined the actions of its own officers, but could not consider the substance of the complaint itself. However, the Ombudsman noted that following the Council’s Stage 2 complaint response, the school provided further information to Mr A that had not previously been disclosed. It was therefore unclear whether the Stage 2 investigation had considered that information and whether the information would change the outcome of the complaint. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to, within 1 month, review the additional information provided by the school against the Stage 2 investigation documents to determine whether it was initially considered and whether it would change the outcome, and provide Mr A with an updated response.