Parents rarely contact us because everything is going smoothly.

Usually, something has reached a point where their child’s existing educational arrangements are no longer working.

You may recognise some of these situations.

Your Child Cannot Safely or Consistently Attend School

Your child may be experiencing severe anxiety, distress, sensory overload, shutdown, dysregulation, burnout or other difficulties that make accessing their current setting increasingly difficult.

Attendance alone does not tell the whole story.

We look at why education has become inaccessible, what has already been tried and what the evidence says about your child’s needs

Your Child’s Placement Has Broken Down

Sometimes a child remains formally on a school roll while, in reality, they are accessing little or no meaningful education.

There may have been:

• repeated failed returns;
• reduced timetables;
• prolonged absence;
• significant distress;
• deteriorating mental health;
• repeated exclusions or suspensions;
• increasing difficulty leaving home;
• unsuccessful reasonable adjustments;
• an inability to access the environment despite additional support.

If the existing placement is no longer realistically meeting your child’s needs, the EHCP and available evidence need to reflect that clearly.

The Local Authority Says a School Can Meet Need

One of the most important issues in an EOTAS case is often the difference between:

a school technically being able to offer provision

and

your child actually being able to access that provision within a school environment.

We help you examine this distinction carefully.

A strong case usually needs to connect the child’s identified needs with the characteristics of the educational environment and explain why proposed adjustments, staffing or alternative placements do or do not overcome the identified barriers.

Professionals Have Recommended Education Outside School

You may already have evidence from:

• an Educational Psychologist;
• Occupational Therapist;
• Speech and Language Therapist;
• psychiatrist;
• paediatrician;
• CAMHS professional;
• psychologist;
• specialist teacher;
• school;
• other relevant professionals.

We review those reports carefully to identify what they actually recommend and whether those recommendations properly support the case you are asking the Local Authority to consider.

The EOTAS Package Being Proposed Is Too Vague

Securing agreement in principle to EOTAS is only part of the issue.

The provision itself also needs careful attention.

Statements such as:

• “access to tuition”;
• “therapeutic support as required”;
• “opportunities for community activities”;
• “regular input”;
• “support when appropriate”

may leave important questions unanswered.

We look at whether the proposed provision identifies:

• what will be delivered;
• by whom;
• how often;
• for how long;
• at what level;
• for what purpose;
• and how the different elements work together.

Your Annual Review Needs to Consider EOTAS

If circumstances have changed substantially since the EHCP was written, waiting passively for the existing arrangements to improve may not be appropriate.

We can help parents prepare for an annual review or request that changed circumstances are properly considered.

The Local Authority Has Refused EOTAS

A refusal does not necessarily end the matter.

What happens next depends on the decision made, the wording of the EHCP, the evidence and the parent’s appeal rights.

Where appropriate, we can help parents consider:

• further representations;
• mediation;
• amendments to the EHCP;
• additional evidence;
• a SEND Tribunal appeal.