EOTAS

EOTAS stands for education otherwise than at school. It is a package of education, such as tutors, therapies and online learning, that the local authority Local authority Your local council. In England, Wales and Scotland, this is the body you ask to assess what extra help your child needs. Read the full definition of Local authority arranges and funds through an EHC plan EHCP A legal document, used in England, that sets out a child's needs and the support they must get. It is for children who need more help than their school can give on its own. Read the full definition of EHCP when it accepts that it would not be appropriate for the child to get that education in a school or college.

EOTAS is not the same as home education. With elective home education Elective home education Teaching your child at home instead of sending them to school. It is your choice to make, and no school can push you into it. Read the full definition of Elective home education the parent takes over and the council's duty largely ends. With EOTAS the local authority stays responsible and pays. One detail trips parents up: with an EOTAS package, Section I Section I of an EHC plan The part of an EHC plan that names the school, or type of school, your child will go to. A school named here must admit your child. Read the full definition of Section I of an EHC plan of the EHC plan, the part that names a school, is left blank, which looks like a mistake but is how it is meant to work.