- This is a new area of responsibility for the Ombudsman being introduced in stages across the country. Medway was in the first tranche, since Easter 2010, with Kent following from September 2010.
- The areas for complaint appear to be fairly wide; however the Ombudmsan can only investigate a complaint by parents if the schools complaint procedure has been followed through. For this reason it is important to keep a record of proceedings.
- Before complaining to the Ombudsman over an aspect of the school management of your son's education you should consider what you might achieve by it. Currently complaints can take between two and six months to complete and if the Ombudsman considers a miscarriage of justicie has occurred so that your child has been penalised in some way, he can recommend redress. It is difficult to say what such redress will be until we see the outcomes of some cases, but there will not be a significant financial penalty, if any. I suspect for many cases, by the time a recommendation is forthcoming, the case will have become historical and there is no ready solution, except perhaps an apology by the school.