Key Facts
| GOV.UK health-needs education guidance | Published 17 May 2013; last updated 14 December 2023; applies in England. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-for-children-with-health-needs-who-cannot-attend-school |
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Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
EOTAS tutoring is one-to-one teaching delivered as part of special educational provision made otherwise than in a school or post-16 institution, an arrangement that sits within an EHC plan and is decided by the local authority. Section 61 of the Children and Families Act provides for parents to be consulted about making that provision. A tutor can carry out a part of it once the authority has decided what is needed, and the plan sets what the provision is.
What does EOTAS mean in the SEND Code of Practice?
The SEND Code of Practice does not define EOTAS beyond the wording of section 61, which covers special educational provision made otherwise than in a school or post-16 institution, and it sets out no standard package. A parent who meets the term in a letter, a meeting or a search result will therefore find that its detail lies in the wording of the child's own plan and in what the local authority decides to arrange. Asking the authority to point to the exact wording used for the child is a sensible first step.
Where does it sit in an EHC plan, and who decides?
An arrangement of this kind sits within the child's EHC plan, and the local authority decides it. The plan has a section naming the school or other institution and Section F, which sets out the special educational provision. Reading those two parts together shows which provision is specified and where the plan says it is delivered, which gives a parent a fixed text to refer to in any conversation with the authority.
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Enquire about this tutorHow does it differ from alternative provision, home education and health needs?
The routes differ in who sets them up and under what duty, and a parent who hears one label used for another can check it against the rule behind it. Alternative provision, elective home education and education for a child out of school because of health needs each have their own rules, set out below, whilst provision made otherwise than in a school under section 61 is the route that runs through the EHC plan.
- Alternative provision: education arranged elsewhere than at a school, which local authorities must arrange for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion or otherwise, may not receive suitable education unless arrangements are made; it includes pupil referral units, alternative provision academies and alternative provision free schools.
- Elective home education: a parent who decides to home educate notifies the school in writing that the child is receiving education otherwise than at school, and the school removes the child's name from the admission register.
- Health needs: GOV.UK guidance covers children who cannot attend school because of health needs, including those who cannot attend at all and those who can attend intermittently.
What does the Code say about alternative provision and an EHC plan?
Alternative provision must be arranged in line with a child's EHC plan, and where it is specified in the plan the local authority must arrange it. Where the plan needs amending because the child is no longer attending the named institution, the authority should consider reviewing the plan.
The education itself must be full time unless the authority determines that, for reasons relating to the child's physical or mental health, a reduced level of education is in the child's best interests. Statutory guidance specifies that the education should be on a par with mainstream schools.
What can a tutor do within an arrangement like this?
A tutor can carry out regular, well-paced teaching that takes the strategies in an SEN support plan or EHC plan into weekly practice. The teaching is paced and structured around how the child learns, which means the plan's strategies are practised in sessions and not left on paper.
Lesson planning can follow the outcomes the plan sets, concentrating on skills the child's needs make harder in a busy classroom, taught in shorter steps with more practice and review, and a tutor can report back to the parent on how that practice is going.
Tutors cannot diagnose a need, assess for access arrangements or set statutory provision, so the content of the provision stays with the plan and the authority.
What should a parent ask the local authority?
A parent preparing for a conversation with the local authority can take the plan's wording as the starting point and ask questions that its two relevant parts answer directly.
- Which special educational provision does Section F set out, and which part of it is to be made otherwise than in a school?
- What does the section naming the school or other institution say, and will the plan be reviewed if the child is no longer attending that institution?
- If the education is arranged as alternative provision, is it full time, and if it is reduced, on what health grounds?
- Who delivers each part of the provision, and can a tutor carry out part of it?
- How will progress against the plan be reported back to the parent?
Is an EOTAS package guaranteed?
No package is guaranteed, because the Code does not set one out and the local authority decides what is arranged. Tuition that a parent arranges runs alongside the support the school already provides and any specialist or health input, and it gives the child more time with one adult on the skills school support has identified. Nothing about the tuition commits the authority to agree, name or fund a package.
Related guides
- EOTAS tutors
- SEN tutors
- Home education tutors
- How to get an EHCP
- Home education with an EHCP or SEN
- SEN support plans in England
- EHCP-funded tuition
- School refusal and EBSA tutoring
- Choosing a tutor for a child with SEND
Tutoring with Taylor Tuition
Families who come to us for this stage usually want a tutor who can diagnose where the marks are being lost and then build a steady routine around it, and that is how our programmes are set up. Our tutors are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools.
Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject. There is no registration fee. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check and families receive progress reports after sessions.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a trial period if a family tries home education first?
- The Code states that there is no provision in law for a trial period of home education, and that local authorities do not have a right of entry to the family home to check provision. A parent weighing the option alongside an EHC plan can put the question of how the plan's named institution and provision would be handled to the local authority before writing to the school.
- Does the health-needs guidance apply to a child who is not on a school roll?
- Yes, the GOV.UK guidance on arranging education for children who cannot attend school because of health needs applies in England and covers children whether or not they are on a school roll. It covers when and how to provide support, medical evidence, exams, working with other services and reintegration, so a parent can use those headings as a checklist when speaking to the local authority.
- Can EOTAS tutoring be online, or does it have to be in person?
- Sessions run online for families across the UK or in person in central London, so the location of the home does not limit access to online teaching. A parent can enquire and receive tutor recommendations for the child's age, subjects and needs, and can then share the relevant parts of the plan so that lessons follow its strategies.
- What happens if a child in alternative provision has SEN the plan does not specify?
- The provider should employ a graduated response where a child in alternative provision has SEN that are not specified in an EHC plan. A parent can ask the provider what that response involves for the child, and a tutor working alongside can take the strategies the provider describes into weekly practice.
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