CEREDIGION council has been forced to apologise and pay out £600, in a school row after a parent complained of the authority’s approach to her son’s schooling.

The Public Ombudsman for Wales, Nick Bennett, upheld a complaint against Ceredigion council made by the woman, identified in the report as Ms A.

She complained that the council “failed to facilitate the reintegration of her son into the school environment”; that the council’s School Transport Policy was “not compliant with Welsh Government guidance”; and that “communication issues had been identified by the council but it had not provided a remedy”.

The Ombudsman found that the council had adopted an “intractable approach” regarding the completion of two forms, one which Ms A had already completed and a second which she could not complete without information being provided by the council.

“This resulted in the breakdown of a planned trial placement” in a school for the son, Mr Bennett’s report found.

He also found that “communication difficulties encountered by Ms A should be addressed”.

The Ombudsman did not uphold Ms A’s complaint about the School Transport Policy as this “did not have any impact on the complainant”.

The Ombudsman recommended that the council apologise to both Ms A and her son. He told the council to make a redress payment of £500 in recognition that the failings identified resulted in a lost opportunity to have a trial placement at a mainstream school; provide financial redress of £100 in recognition of the communication failings already identified; provide complaint handling training for some members of staff; and review its School Admissions Procedure. The council agreed to implement the recommendations.