Kids submits response to government’s EOTAS consultation
We have submitted our response to the Government’s consultation on proposed EOTAS reforms, informed by the experiences of children, young people and families.
Published: 23 September 2026
Last week marked the end of the government’s public consultation on proposals for improving support, quality and oversight for children and young people who are educated outside of school, including those with Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) packages.
What is EOTAS?
EOTAS is education and support provided outside of a school or college when these settings are not appropriate for a child or young person with SEND. EOTAS is agreed and defined through an EHCP, and can include alternative education, therapy and health support delivered in the home or in community venues.
The consultation
The Department for Education (DfE) launched a public consultation seeking feedback on their proposals for how EOTAS will change through the SEND Reforms.
The proposals explore how EOTAS arrangements might operate from 2029/2030, with three main objectives:
- Clear eligibility criteria
- Improved quality of provision
- Bringing decision making closer to the child or young person.
The consultation is now closed, but you can still read the full proposals here.
Kids’ response
Kids has submitted a response to the consultation, shaped by conversations with parents and young people with experience of EOTAS, responses to our survey, and insights from frontline staff across our services. Alongside our formal consultation response, we continue to work directly with the DfE team responsible for EOTAS to ensure that the lived experiences of children and families remain at the heart of policy development ad these proposals progress.
Share your experience
Do you have experience of EOTAS? Has your child spent time out of education?
There’s still time to complete our survey. We know there are many reasons why children with SEND may spend time out of school, and every experience matters.
Kids continues to work with the government to strengthen proposals related to EOTAS and other reasons why children spend time out of school. By sharing your experiences, you’ll help inform the messages and recommendations we take directly to the Department for Education.