[senco-forum] Complaints to the Ombudsman

 Earlier this year after five successful years of working with a statemented student, inexplicably his mother reported me, my school and the Education authority to the local Ombudsman for failing to address his Special Needs. I was totally amazed as I had always had a good working relationship with her and was rather proud of what we had achieved with the student. Anyway the Ombudsman threw out the complaint and was very complimentary about the support the student had received.
      I have since found out from other parents that this is becoming the latest craze. If you complain to the Ombudsman and win you can get compensation, however if you lose you are not penalised and life goes on. From my point of view I spent half the Easter holidays getting the paperwork in chronological order, my professional reputation was on the line (I'm sure the local press would have got hold of the story if we had lost) and my relationship with this parent is now ever so slightly strained! 
     I have no problem about being accountable for what I do in school but I can't understand why there isn't some sort of filter system that throws out the more ludicrous claims (as this one was) and saves all concerned time, Tax payers money and not least a lot of stress.Has anybody else encountered this?
   
   
   
   
                   Cudham