There is no denying the Government’s Schools White Paper is a lengthy document with considerable detail about the reforms Labour wants to implement to our SEND system. But there is one glaring omission: it fails to include Education Other Than At/In School (EOTAS/EOTIS) or online / hybrid learning, let alone discuss what it may look like under these new reforms.
EOTAS exists for ‘The Sanctuary Cohort’. These are the children for whom the traditional school environment is simply not tenable; the children whose needs were not identified early enough and were then not accommodated once they were identified. These children have often experienced considerable trauma during their time in school. As a result, they need a truly personalised approach to learning. For many, EOTAS is a lifeline in all senses of the word and can be the only option to access education. It can also be genuinely lifesaving, a suicide prevention strategy. And yet, the Schools White Paper doesn’t even mention it. Not once.
Here, a team from our joint Save Our Children’s Rights (SOCR) campaign, all highly experienced in EOTAS either professionally, by lived experience, and as campaigners, highlight the true value of EOTAS. Full contributors list at the end. Part 2 tomorrow.
The Silent Erasure of EOTAS, by the Save Our Children’s Rights campaign EOTAS experts
In the wake of the new SEND White Paper, a quiet but devastating erasure is taking place. Education Other Than At School (EOTAS)—the legal mechanism that allows children who cannot cope in a school building to receive a funded, structured education at home or in the community—has been omitted from the government’s proposed reforms.
For the “Sanctuary Cohort,” this is not a minor oversight; it is a threat to their survival. We are not resisting reform, but we are resisting the removal of the legal foundations on which our most vulnerable children depend.
1. Defining the Sanctuary Cohort: Who is EOTAS For?
EOTAS is not “homeschooling”. Nor is it Alternative Provision, which is provision under Section 19 of the Education Act, 1996. EOTAS is a legal provision for education otherwise than in a school, grounded in Section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014. It is a recognition by the law that for some children, a school environment is not just “difficult,” but fundamentally “inappropriate.”
The evidence points to the fact that the majority of children requiring EOTAS are neurodivergent (autistic, ADHD, PDA) with complex mental health needs. These are children for whom the sensory environment, social navigation, and rigid demands of school have led to end-stage distress. Some of these will have exited the mainstream system in Primary, some in Secondary, but all will have experienced considerable trauma before reaching that point. And it could be argued that some of those electively Home Educated have exited the System voluntarily because their parents feared they would reach this point.
“Nobody wants their child to “fail” school. I would have loved it if my child had calmly gone into school every day. It would have shown she was happy and supported and she felt safe. But she didn’t. And she was miserable to the point of severe mental health crisis. Continuing in school was not an option by that point.”
Parent
The Profile of School Trauma
- Burnout and Masking: Many autistic people, girls in particular, “mask” their struggles to the point of neurological collapse.
- Physical Symptomatology: Children experiencing school distress often present with chronic pain, nausea, and exhaustion—physical manifestations of a nervous system stuck in “freeze” or “fawn” mode.
- The Breaking Point: EOTAS is usually sought only after a child or young person is no longer able to tolerate a school environment, often resulting in “school refusal” or Emotionally Based School Avoidance (more accurately termed School Distress). Many of these children will have tried and not had their needs met in multiple mainstream and specialist schools, resulting in failed placements.
2. The Life-Saving Impact: Mental Health & Suicidality
The most critical argument for EOTAS is its role as a suicide prevention strategy.
The Protective Factor of the Home
Research from the Measure What Matters team identified that in cases of child suicide between 2020-2024, every single child had a diagnosis of Autism, ADHD, or both. These crises are not isolated clinical events; they are the result of prolonged exposure to institutional failure.
- Removing the Trigger: EOTAS allows a child to heal by removing the primary source of their trauma—the school environment.
- Neurological Safety: When a child is granted EOTAS, they move from a state of survival to a state of neurological safety. This “Decompression Period” is essential before any academic learning can take place.
“EOTAS has changed my daughter’s life. She had become so withdrawn and anxious, chewing on her hair and clothes, terrified of wind and rain. Being educated in a way that was in line with her emotional, regulation, and learning needs has meant our funny, happy, calm girl has resurfaced. She is learning, engaged and able to engage fully in life.”
“My 8yo autistic son’s CAMHS psychiatrist was recommending anti-psychotics because his dysregulated behaviour was so extreme and unsafe. The social worker was concerned both his life and his younger sibling’s life were in danger and wanted to break up the family. They both agreed to wait to see if the EOTAS package would make a difference. It did and within a month of having the right 2:1 support at home, his mental health began to stabilise. It took 18 months before he was well enough to engage in anything that looked like learning.”
The Case for Recovery
When the “shadow of school” is lifted, we see a dramatic reduction in self-harm and suicidal ideation.
“EOTAS didn’t just give my son an education; it gave him back his life. Within six months of stopping the fight to get him through the school gates, his night terrors stopped, and his personality returned.”
Parent
“My son J began EOTAS in year 2 after repeated suicide attempts, starting at age 6. He told us he could not stay alive and go to school. It took over a year of EOTAS before J felt safe enough to be in the same room alone with his tutors. Initially everything had to be online or indirect (delivered by parents). J was so terrified that he would be sent back to school he hid when anyone came to the house and had nightmares for years about school. It took about three years of EOTAS before he trusted his tutors enough to engage in anything that reminded him of learning in school”.
Parent
3. Academic Achievement: Thriving Outside the Box
There is a pervasive myth that EOTAS is “educational neglect.” The reality is often the opposite. When a child feels safe, they can finally learn.
Tailored Learning vs. Standardised Packages
The White Paper proposes “Specialist Provision Packages.” However, the Sanctuary Cohort requires the exact opposite of a standardised “package.” They require:
- Personalised Interests: Leveraging a child’s passionate interests to drive the curriculum.
- Flexible Pacing: Allowing for “Energy Accounting” where learning happens when the child has the cognitive capacity, rather than according to a rigid bell schedule.
- Authentic Relationship: Connections with educators who understand how to relate to them, leading to healing.
- Appropriate Environment: A place where they feel safe to be themselves.
“My son’s EOTAS package now runs 4 days a week, 45 weeks of the year. This allows for plenty of rest time. Having longer terms and fewer shorter holidays means he struggles less with changes to his routine. He gets the same number of days of education as a child attending school. It took about two years to gradually build up his package of education”
Parent
Proof of Concept: The Success Stories
We see children who were considered “un-teachable” in mainstream schools achieving high-grade GCSEs and A-Levels through EOTAS. By utilising tutors, online provisions, community-based learning, or whatever works for them, these children demonstrate that learning takes place when the environment is right. Some are also able to excel in subjects and develop skills and talents that would not have been accessible to them in mainstream.
—Part 2 is coming tomorrow—
Authors
This article was jointly created by: Cathy Wassell (Founder, CEO, Autistic Girls Network and The Haven), Claire Brenner, Megan Booth (volunteer, SOSSEN), Joanna Gibbs and Milly Allinson (SENSational Tutors), Louise Parker Engels (Define Fine), Joanne Feaster, and Dee Nic Sitric (AUDHD, CEO of Autism Champions CIC).
Edited by Jenny Ellery
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Key Content
Also read:
- Beyond EHCPs: Why Inclusion Needs More Than a Document
- The Unacceptable Truth: 20 SEND legal rights at risk from the Government’s SEND reforms
- How health and family support systems are failing children starting school
- WEBINAR RECORDING! The implications for children’s legal rights to EHCPs and EOTAS of the Government’s SEND proposals
- When things go right: Shining a light on SEND Practitioners making a positive impact [Giveaway!]
- From suspicion to support: why the Government’s child protection reforms matter for disabled children
- Have your say on the future of transport for disabled children and young people
- Unison voices major concerns over SEND reform health plans for sick and disabled children out of school in the EOTAS consultation
- Top Tips for the EOTAS & EHCP consultation: Protect your child’s rights to statutory SEND support
- Navigating constraints: Why a former PCF chair thinks the current model is missing the mark for families
- Dear Secretary of State for Education, Lucy Powell: an Open Letter from Special Needs Jungle and SEND legal charity SOS!SEN
- Research: Disabled young people define inclusive education as “learning in the place that’s right for them”
- The Unacceptable Truth: 20 SEND legal rights at risk from the Government’s SEND reforms
- WEBINAR RECORDING! The implications for children’s legal rights to EHCPs and EOTAS of the Government’s SEND proposals
- Unison voices major concerns over SEND reform health plans for sick and disabled children out of school in the EOTAS consultation
- Top Tips for the EOTAS & EHCP consultation: Protect your child’s rights to statutory SEND support
- What might the SEND reform proposals mean for specialist tutors, alternative provision and EOTAS?
- When Home-to-School Transport Doesn’t Fit: The Reality of Section 19 EOTAS
- EOTAS Consultation: A further assault on children’s SEND rights with cost saving and reintegration to schools at its heart
- SEND reforms: Where are care-experienced children?
- Part 2: The Invisible Lifeline: Why EOTAS is Non-Negotiable for the ‘Sanctuary Cohort’
- The Invisible Lifeline: Why EOTAS is non-negotiable for the ‘Sanctuary Cohort’ Part 1
- Inclusion doesn’t just happen in mainstream school: being included in education and in life should be the goal
- Boost support for children not in school, develop EOTAS guidance, and fund schools to be needs-led, say Ofsted and CQC inspectors
What kind of government is “bold” enough to scrap statutory EHCPs from vulnerable children?May 16, 2025
The SEND reforms in the Schools White Paper reveal rights given, and rights stripped awayFebruary 24, 2026
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- Join the May 9th #SaveOurChildrensRights SEND Protest in London or a regional location - April 22, 2026
- Part 2: The Invisible Lifeline: Why EOTAS is Non-Negotiable for the ‘Sanctuary Cohort’ - April 10, 2026
- The Invisible Lifeline: Why EOTAS is non-negotiable for the ‘Sanctuary Cohort’ Part 1 - April 9, 2026
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