EOTAS: Education Other Than At School — consultation
NNPCF | Online resources | EOTAS & SEND reforms | Deadline: 18th September 2026.
During the summer: Consultation on: ‘Education Other Than At School (EOTAS)’, as part of the governments proposed SEND reforms.
The article is published by NNPCF (National Network of Parent Carer Forums C.I.C):
NNPCF summary report: LINK >
The Department for Education has confirmed that it intends to launch a consultation on Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) in the coming weeks.
This follows concerns raised during the SEND Reform consultation that there was limited information about how the proposed reforms would affect children and young people currently receiving EOTAS provision.
This looks at the importance of EOTAS in the proposed SEND reforms that it is a vital provision for some children and young people whose needs cannot be met within a school setting.
The Government has stated that children and young people accessing EOTAS will be considered within the future SEND system and that the consultation will seek views on how EOTAS should operate going forward.
The NNPCF welcomes the opportunity for families, Parent Carer Forums and wider stakeholders to contribute to this important discussion.
More information here >
These resources explain the proposals in more detail and are intended to help parents, carers and professionals understand the consultation before sharing their views:
—— MORE DETAILS
The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a new consultation on Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS).
EOTAS applies where a child or young person’s special educational provision, as set out in their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), cannot appropriately be delivered in a school or further education setting.
The consultation seeks views on how EOTAS provision should be:
Quality assured
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.
The consultation will run for 10 weeks and will close on 18th September 2026.
Due to the consultation timescales, it is likely that one of these sessions will need to take place during the summer holidays. We appreciate that this may not be ideal, but we hope as many forums as possible will be able to participate. We will also aim to re-run within the new academic year, before the consultation ends. This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 18 September 2026.
The consultation can be accessed here:SEND reform: education otherwise than at school - Department for Education - Citizen Space
The DFE are also hosting an event; Education other than at school - proposals and consultation. You can book on here:
Further details of the CoP sessions, including dates and joining information, will be shared as soon as they are confirmed.