Education Other than at School (EOTAS)
Education otherwise than at school (EOTAS) are education arrangements that meet the needs of children or young people who, for whatever reason, are unable to attend any mainstream or specialist education setting.
Occasionally there are circumstances when children/ young people with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND) need to be educated outside of traditional education settings such as schools or colleges. To ensure that all children/ young people can receive an efficient and effective education, the Children and Families Act 2014 allows for education outside of traditional education settings.
The attached policy provides more detailed information on EOTAS provision in Surrey:
EOTAS is different from elective home education (EHE). Parents and carers who choose to home educate are responsible for making their own suitable arrangements for their child's educational provision, see Home education for more information.
EOTAS can only be agreed with the Council via the Education Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment, a reassessment of needs (EHC needs reassessment) or at the EHC plan annual review.
The Council must consider requests and decide if EOTAS is appropriate. The decision will be based on evidence that EOTAS is necessary. It would be inappropriate for the provision to be made in an educational setting such as a school or post-16 institution. If you are considering requesting EOTAS please discuss this with your child's Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and your SEND Case Officer.
Some examples of types of EOTAS are:
- Online schooling
- Hospital schooling
- Tuition at home or tuition centres