Written statement: Education otherwise than at school consultation - July 13

Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson): The Government's consultation, SEND reform: putting children and young people first set out our plan to ensure every child and young person benefits from high-quality and inclusive education. For those that need specialist support, we will ensure that they receive it promptly, and with dignity and care. Children and young people whose needs are supported through Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) provision are no exception. We want them to be in a learning environment which best supports their education, wellbeing and long-term outcomes, and we launched a consultation on how to deliver this last Friday (10 July).

Through our ongoing engagement on SEND, including the National Conversation, we have heard from many families about having to fight to have their child's needs recognised and met, going long periods without suitable support, and being offered provision unsuitable for the complexity of their child's needs. For some families, this can lead to a gradual breakdown in their child's relationship with education, one which starts long before the child or young person is moved onto arrangements where education is delivered outside a school or further education setting. Parents often describe feeling responsible for holding together their child's education because of a failure of adequate support, creating significant emotional and practical pressures. These children and young people have been badly let down by an unresponsive system, causing significant distress for them and their families. The increasing number of children and young people relying on EOTAS arrangements is a reflection of these wider challenges. For some, EOTAS becomes necessary not only because of the complexity of their needs, but because effective support was not available early enough or effective enough to prevent difficulties from escalating.

Our first priority is therefore to create a system that identifies and responds to needs at the earliest opportunity, so that more children and young people receive the right support before EOTAS arrangements become necessary. For most children and young people, this support should be available through mainstream and specialist settings that are welcoming, inclusive and able to meet children's needs effectively. However, we recognise that some children and young people with the most complex needs will continue to require EOTAS arrangements at times, where their needs cannot be best met in a school or further education setting.

Where EOTAS provision is required, we want to ensure it is consistently high quality, focused on outcomes, supported by a broad and ambitious curriculum, and helps children and young people make meaningful progress. We also want to provide greater confidence and clarity to parents that decisions are being made in their child's best interests and that children receive the most appropriate support.

To help deliver this ambition, we have today launched a consultation on the future use of EOTAS provision as part of our wider SEND reforms. We are seeking views on how EOTAS should operate within the reformed system from 2029/30 when we anticipate new legislation coming into effect, how children and young people currently receiving EOTAS should be supported during transition, and how quality of provision and accountability within the system can be strengthened.

For children and young people entering the reformed SEND system, we are seeking views on a new approach that would align EOTAS with Specialist Provision Packages for children with the most complex needs. Under this model, responsibility for overseeing EOTAS arrangements would sit closer to the child or young person through a named school or further education setting (typically a specialist or alternative provision setting). Local authorities would retain an oversight role drawing on their expertise about need and local knowledge of provision. We are also seeking views on how best to support transitions into and out of EOTAS arrangements, how decisions around EOTAS can be challenged, how accountability should operate, and how quality assurance arrangements can be strengthened so that all children and young people receive high quality provision which supports positive outcomes.

For children and young people already on EOTAS arrangements, we want to ensure they have stability whilst also having the opportunity to benefit from our wider reforms to mainstream and specialist settings. We are seeking views on whether we should take a different approach depending on the age of the child or young person. Those who are secondary school age and above we propose should be able to continue with their existing arrangements, protecting stability foremost. For the small number of children on existing EOTAS arrangements at primary age or below, we propose to reassess their needs at the end of primary phase. They would then either be supported through one of the new Specialist Provision Packages which could include EOTAS or through a supported transition arrangement, overseen by an alternative provision school, and facilitating a return to a school where appropriate and achievable. There would be no time limit on such transitional arrangements.

We are also seeking views on how to support children with health needs who require alternative provision to remain engaged in education. This includes children with complex physical health conditions, undergoing medical treatments or with recovery needs that significantly affect their ability to attend school, as well as children with mental health needs which can create an emotional barrier to attendance. We are also consulting the use of accredited online education providers by schools and local authorities when arranging alternative provision.

The consultation has been published on the GOV.UK website here(opens in a new tab) and runs until Friday 18 September.