Thematic report |
Education other than at school
This is a report about education other than at school (EOTAS). The report focuses on provision for pupils of compulsory school age that receive EOTAS as all or the main part of their main education. The report has been produced in response to a request for advice from the Welsh Government in the Minister’s annual remit to Estyn for 2015-2016. The report follows the Estyn survey on good practice in EOTAS published in June 2015.The report is intended primarily for the Welsh Government, EOTAS providers, headteachers, local authorities and regional consortia.
Recommendations
The Welsh Government should:
- R1 strengthen guidance to local authorities and schools regarding the requirement to:
- notify the Welsh Government of all EOTAS they provide or commission, including tuition centres, PRUs and independent provision
- maintain records of all pupils receiving EOTAS provision, and those who receive alternative provision arranged by schools independently of their local authority
- maintain records of the numbers of pupils receiving EOTAS who go on to become not in education, employment or training (NEETS)
- improve accessibility to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and other specialist agencies for pupils who receive EOTAS
- R2 publish attainment and attendance data for EOTAS learners at local authority level
- R3 consider revising the threshold for providers to register as independent school
Local authorities should:
- R4 notify the Welsh Government of all EOTAS provision they provide or commission
- R5 check carefully the registration status of each provider they use to ensure that, where appropriate, provision that they commission is registered as an independent school with the Welsh Government
- R6 ensure that EOTAS referral procedures are understood by schools and include the requirement for assessment and other information to transfer promptly from school to EOTAS provider
- R7 monitor the quality of all alternative provision provided or commissioned for pupils in their local authority, including that arranged by schools or through 14-19 Networks
- R8 provide pupils with suitable education within 15 days of a decision being made that they should receive EOTAS
- R9 provide all pupils receiving EOTAS with a full-time curriculum that meets their needs, enables them to achieve their potential and ensures that they are re-integrated wherever possible
- R10 provide Welsh-medium EOTAS for pupils who have received their education in Welsh
- R11 meet the statutory requirement to ensure that pupils with a statement of special educational needs receive the support noted on their statement or Individual Development Plan
- R12 provide elected members with all the information they need about EOTAS to enable them to judge its effectiveness and value for money
Schools should:
- R13 work closely with their local authority and provide them with comprehensive timely information about all pupils they refer for EOTAS and alternative provision, including through 14-19 Networks
- R14 check carefully the registration status of each provider that they use and check whether they should be registered if they are not
- R15 ensure that providers of EOTAS who are educating pupils from their school receive good quality information about pupils’ learning and behaviour needs
- R16 keep in touch with pupils from their schools receiving EOTAS, monitor their progress, including academic performance, and re-integrate them wherever possible
- R17 work closely with EOTAS providers to ensure curriculum continuity for pupils from their school