Barnsley Education Inclusion Services
It's best for children and young people to attend their local school, to be educated by their teachers and learning amongst their peers.
In exceptional circumstances, only when all other options have been considered, we may provide 'education otherwise than at school' (EOTAS). This is on a temporary basis until a suitable long term provision is secured.
EOTAS is where a child or young person with an education health and care plan (EHCP) can receive educational provision despite not being able to attend an educational setting.
EOTAS will only be provided if the following are met:
- The child or young person has an EHCP.
- We're satisfied that it would be inappropriate for any special educational provision that we've decided is needed for the child or young person to be made in any school. And it would be inappropriate for any part of the provision to be made in any school.
The EOTAS service will provide education where its deemed 'inappropriate' for a child or young person to attend school. Therefore, the expectation is that a child should attend a school setting, unless it is inappropriate for them to do so.
Our practice is underpinned by Barnsley’s SEND Strategy values and beliefs.
Our vision
Our vision is for every child and young person in Barnsley to be fully included, to be happy, and thrive in their education and community so that they can:
- develop independence
- lead fulfilling lives
- achieve outcomes that are important to them
We'll endeavour to support children and young people to access suitable, full time education.
Our values
- Children and young people always come first: we are here for them.
- We will improve outcomes for children and young people.
- Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the core of what we do.
- We are open, transparent, accountable and work with partners and stakeholders.
How EOTAS is made possible
EOTAS is made possible by section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Under section 61, local authorities have the discretionary power to consent to a child or young person with SEN being educated somewhere other than a school or post-16 institution.
The right to parental preference under section 9 of the Education Act does not determine the offer.
There is no one size fits all and each case with need to be decided on its facts and circumstances.
What we do
When a decision has been made to provide EOTAS, we'll provide suitable education for a minimum of five hours per week. This tuition will be delivered within the child or young person’s local community.
Our team of teachers and tutors will build a meaningful relationship with the young person. They'll support the transition into an appropriate education setting whilst delivering a bespoke curriculum to their students.
Our EOTAS team have a wealth of knowledge and experience in education and SEND. Our ambition is to provide quality education where a school setting is currently inappropriate for the child to attend. We want to ensure that the education delivered is in the right place at the right time.
Our offer
Hours of offer
EOTAS tuition is available through term time only.
Each child or young person will be offered a minimum of five hours tuition per week.
What we'll do
The educational provision within an EOTAS package will be coproduced with:
- the child or young person
- their family
- relevant professionals
Once EOTAS provision has been agreed, a meeting will be carried out by the lead teacher to develop a personal EOTAS program of work. This work will:
- Provide the child or young person with an education that is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and special educational needs.
- Record agreed outcomes.
- Specify how it will facilitate the child or young person’s return to suitable educational provision.
- Ensure any alternative providers used within the provision have been quality assured.
If a child or young person has an EHCP, its contents should be amended. The EOTAS program should be clearly articulated in the provision section F of the plan, with section I left blank.
How we'll monitor and review provision
We'll monitor a child or young person’s progress on their EOTAS program. We'll conduct a review of that provision every half term.
The review will include:
- the child and young person’s views
- parents or carers
- involved professionals’ view of current provision
Attendance and progress will be discussed, along with the suitability of the EOTAS offer.
If a child or young person with an EHCP has been following an EOTAS program for two academic terms, we'll arrange for an emergency review of their EHCP. This is to explore what else can be done to facilitate their return to suitable educational provision at the earliest or most appropriate opportunity. If integration into a school or some other education provision remains inappropriate or cannot proceed, we'll work flexibly with the parent, carers, child or young person to ensure they continue to follow an appropriate EOTAS program of education until the next review.
EOTAS arrangements will be monitored termly by the service manager.
We'll work with schools so that arrangements can be made for returning to a school or setting and to support exam arrangements.
The team will ensure that the right support is given in the right place and at the right time for all children and young people.
Our intended outcomes
- Increased attendance and engagement of all learners, particularly of vulnerable groups.
- Improved educational outcomes for learning, social and emotional development, wellbeing, and resilience.
- Improve transition to new settings for children and young people.
- Improved wellbeing of pupils.
- Reduce barriers to children and young people accessing full time education.
Mental health support team
Compass Be mental health support team work with children, young people and families in education and community-based settings in Barnsley. They provide free, confidential low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy. They also provide wider help and advice for young people, families and schools for issues related to mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Compass Be work closely with our EOTAS tutors to create a package of care. This is to ensure that children and young people’s emotional and mental health needs are understood and supported as they work towards transitioning back into an education setting. The aim is to provide the right support, at the right level at the right time.