Alternative routes · England only

EOTAS and elective home education are different routes. Slow the decision down and ask the right questions first.

Reviewed 30 August 2026 · Educational information and preparation, not legal advice or medical advice.

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Do not treat EOTAS and elective home education as interchangeable. Elective home education is a parental decision about education outside school. Section 61 allows a local authority to arrange necessary special educational provision otherwise than in a school only where it is satisfied that school would be inappropriate for that provision.

A practical path

Three small, informed moves

Separate the two questions

Ask whether you are considering a parental home-education decision, or whether evidence indicates that it may be inappropriate for necessary provision to be delivered in a school setting.

Gather individual evidence

Focus on your child’s particular needs, history, access to learning and response to support. A preference for home learning alone is not the Section 61 test.

Ask how provision would be recorded

If EOTAS is being considered, ask how the necessary provision, outcomes, arrangements and review will be described in the EHC plan and how your views will be taken into account.

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Editable request: discuss whether Section 61 should be considered

Adapt the wording to your family’s facts. Attach only information you are comfortable sharing, and keep a copy of what you send.

Subject: Request to discuss provision otherwise than in a school setting for [child’s name]

Dear [caseworker / SEN team],

I am writing in relation to [child’s name] and their [draft EHC plan / annual review / current plan]. We are concerned that the present school-based arrangement is not enabling [child’s name] to access suitable education because [brief factual explanation].

Please could the local authority consider whether it would be inappropriate for the special educational provision identified as necessary for [child’s name] to be made in a school setting, under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

The evidence we would like you to consider includes:

• [report, author and date]
• [attendance / access-to-learning evidence]
• [child or young person’s views]

Please let us know the next steps, what further information would assist, and how our views will be considered. If an alternative arrangement is being explored, please explain how the necessary provision, outcomes and review arrangements would be recorded.

Yours sincerely,
[parent / carer name]
[contact details]

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Information, not advice

This guide is educational information. It is not legal advice, medical advice or a diagnosis. A qualified professional should advise on individual circumstances.

Notice these signs

Pressure to withdraw from school before you understand the practical and legal implications.
A conversation that focuses only on location and not on the special educational provision your child needs.
A proposed package with no clear explanation of what will be delivered, monitored and reviewed.

Official sources

Always check the live source before relying on a process, deadline or form.

If you need a next step

Take independent advice before making a significant education decision. SENDIASS can explain local processes, while a suitable legal or education professional can advise on an individual case.