Councils must remind schools of proper process on waiting lists, says Ombudsman

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has urged councils to remind schools about the proper process for filling places after upholding a complaint concerning the London Borough of Lambeth.

A mother complained that a school had failed to offer her child a place despite offering one to another child who was much further down the waiting list.

Ombudsman Jane Martin said in her report that Lambeth failed to manage the waiting list properly and did not deal with the information given to its officers appropriately.

The child was originally offered a place at a school after all five on the mother’s preferred list were unable to offer places.

Some months later the family moved closer to one of her preferred schools, placing her son second on its waiting list.

Her son still did not gain a place at the school, but the mother heard that another child had been given a place, despite being only twelfth on the list.

The ombudsman’s investigation uncovered a complicated series of misunderstandings in which the school did not make Lambeth aware of the vacancy, but made an offer of a place on its own account,

After the matter came to light it said it could not rectify the error as giving the child a place would breach the 30 pupil class-size limit.

The LGO found Lambeth at fault for failing to administer the school’s waiting list properly and for not ensuring the preferences expressed by parents were given their true weight according to their place on the waiting list.

Dr Martin said: “I am urging councils to remind schools of their duty to inform them of vacant places that arise so they can be administered through the proper process.

“The school involved in the report should not have offered the place to the child: this is the responsibility of the local authority, and it is that authority’s duty to ensure that the due process is adhered to correctly.”

She noted that Lambeth had agreed to take action to improve resources at the school so it can accept the child at the top of the waiting list into the correct year group.

The LGO has also recommended Lambeth to apologise to the complainant and pay her £500, and write to all schools in its area to reiterate the proper process for filling vacancies when they arise.

A council spokesman said Lambeth was considering these recommendations.

Mark Smulian