Education Otherwise than at School

The Children, Young People and Education Committee undertook an inquiry into the range of Education Otherwise that at School (EOTAS) provision including Pupil Referral Units. It focussed specifically on the:

• Reasons for and support available for children and young people at risk of EOTAS, including through their exclusion from mainstream provision
• How effectively parents are engaged and supported throughout the EOTAS process
• The variation in rates of EOTAS for children and young people with particular characteristics (such as learners with special educational needs or who are eligible for free school meals) and the consequences of this
• The levels of financial support available to support EOTAS and children and young people at risk of becoming EOTAS and whether this represents value for money
• Responsibility and accountability for the education of pupils who become EOTAS
• Attainment of children and young people EOTAS 
• Outcomes and wellbeing of children and young people EOTAS
• The quality of support provided to children and young people in the range of EOTAS provision
• Professional development support for Pupil Referral Unit staff, including those who provide home tuition
• The potential risks for children and young people EOTAS such as increased barriers to accessing mental health support, increased risk of involvement with crime and the criminal justice system such as ‘county lines’.
• Other issues closely linked to EOTAS, for example managed moves, and the ‘off-rolling’ of pupils

The Committee’s inquiry included individual home tuition but did not focus on the separate issue of elective home education.

The consultation closed on 18 October 2019.