There are some incredibly important consultations and sessions that might affect you as a parent carer. It's vital that you have your say.

🚨 This consultation isn't just about EOTAS, it also covers Alternative Provision under Section 19. Keep reading, we've flagged that further down too.

Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS)

The Department for Education is consulting on Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS) and parent carers' voices are crucial.

Key Term: EOTAS, Under Section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities may arrange special educational provision outside a school or FE setting where it wouldn't be appropriate for that provision to be delivered in a school. This is set out in an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

EOTAS covers education for children and young people who can't attend mainstream or specialist schools for reasons such as medical needs, mental health, social, behavioural or safeguarding concerns.

This review will affect how provision is identified, planned, funded and quality assured across the country.

The consultation asks for views on how EOTAS should be:

Identified — for example, clear criteria for who needs EOTAS and timely referral processes

Managed — including responsibility for planning, coordination between local services, and how personalised learning is delivered

Quality Assured — so arrangements are monitored, outcomes tracked, and standards upheld

These proposals have the potential to affect some of the most vulnerable children and young people. It is therefore essential that the lived experiences of children, young people and families help to shape any future changes.

EOTAS vs Alternative Provision — how they compare

Comparison of EOTAS special educational provision and alternative provision (consultation, page 5)

Visual: the proposed process for new EOTAS arrangements

Step by step process for children and young people entering new EOTAS arrangements from 2029/30 (consultation, page 27)

Online sessions on the EOTAS Consultation



The DofE are running online sessions on the EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than At School) consultation, part of the wider SEND Reform proposals.

All sessions cover the same content and questions, so you only need to book onto one.

This is worth attending if EOTAS provision affects your child, or if you want to understand the proposals before the consultation closes on 18 September.

Other resources on EOTAS

The Department for Education has also published a series of fact sheets to accompany the Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) and Upfront funding for mainstream schools consultations.

These resources explain the proposals in more detail and are intended to help parents, carers and professionals understand the consultation before sharing their views.

SEND reform: education otherwise than at school – what parents and carers of children and young people need to know - GOV.UK

Upfront funding for mainstream schools: creating a 'local SEND inclusion formula' – what parents and carers of children and young people need to know - GOV.UK

These are all important opportunities to ensure that the lived experiences of children, young people and families help shape future policy.

🚨 Don't miss this bit — it's not just EOTAS

Two whole chapters of this consultation cover Alternative Provision (AP), and it affects a lot of our families even without an EHCP or EOTAS arrangement.

Key Term: Alternative Provision (AP) — Under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a duty to arrange suitable education for children of compulsory school age who may not otherwise receive suitable education because of exclusion, illness or other reasons. Schools may also arrange off-site provision to support pupils to improve their behaviour, and this is also known as AP.

Children whose health needs mean they can't attend school

The consultation looks at children who can't attend school because of physical or mental health needs, including complex health conditions and mental health difficulties affecting attendance. It recognises that too many children face delays while schools, LAs and health services work out who's responsible, and proposes a clearer pathway: schools accessing outreach support first, then engaging the LA early if that's not enough, so AP is arranged without unnecessary delay.

Online education providers

There's also a section on accredited online education used as Alternative Provision. Currently this is voluntary with no ongoing monitoring once a provider is accredited. The consultation proposes bringing it in line with recent AP reforms: usually a short-term option (up to 12 weeks full-time, or part-time alongside school), reviewed regularly, focused on getting children back into face-to-face education where possible.

Visual: the proposed process for children on existing EOTAS arrangements

Step by step process for children and young people on existing EOTAS arrangements in 2029/30 (consultation, page 33)

Why this matters

If your child is out of school for health reasons, or has been offered online education as part of their support, these proposals directly affect them. It's easy to skip past this if you're only looking for the EOTAS bits, so it's worth flagging to families who might not otherwise engage.

We already have a lot of your views and experiences on these exact issues from our recent survey and our volunteers, so we can feed these straight into our response to the National Network alongside anything new you share with us now.

Useful Information

The consultation contains 19 questions, some with multiple-choice response options and the opportunity to provide optional additional comments of up to 250 words.

Download or access document for the consultation: link

Respond to consultation online: link

Download or access the Easy Read version: link

Respond to Easy Read Consultation online: link

You can respond via e-mail EOTAS.CONSULTATION@education.gov.uk.

You can request alternative formats and respond by post – details of this is listed within the consultation (page 12).

Deadline: Friday 18 September at 11:59pm.

The results of the consultation and the department's response will be published on GOV.UK in Autumn 2026.

You can respond in two ways:

1️⃣ Directly via the national consultation: SEND reform: education otherwise than at school - Department for Education - Citizen Space

2️⃣ Through PCF CWaC — tell us your thoughts and we'll feed them into the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) so they're heard nationally.

⏰ Closes 18th September — plenty of time, but don't leave it too late!