Concerns about education and children’s services make up nearly a quarter of complaints received by the local government ombudsman, up from 17% ten years ago.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s annual review shows that 84% of the complaints about education and children’s services were upheld.

The South East of England had the largest proportion of complaints about children and education in 2022-23 (33%).

The majority of complaints were focused on failure to properly provide for Special Educational Needs and Education, Health and Care plans. However, one parent complained that Nottinghamshire County Council had not ensured her child’s nursery issued clear and transparent invoices, and that it had not ensured she had fair access to a free nursery place.

The ombudsman upheld the complaint and recommended that the council should apologise to the parent in writing, pay her £200 for time, trouble, distress and uncertainty, refund her the additional charges and review the nursery’s policies and practices.

Paul Najsarek, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “We all want decent education services for our children, quality care for our loved ones when they are in need, and the reassurance of a safety net if we fall on hard times but all too often the complaints we receive show this isn’t what people experience.”