Education Other than at School

‘EOTAS’ - all forms of education that takes place outside of the formal school environment

• home or hospital tuition for pupils unable to attend school through illness or disability
• pupils educated at home (because parents choose this method of education for their children)
• Alternative Education Provision (AEP) for School Age Mothers (SAMs)
• AEP for young people of compulsory school age who cannot adjust to or cope with mainstream schooling

Some EOTAS provision may be used for pupils who are in mainstream school but need to go out of school for extra help, with behavioural problems for example.

This could be for a term or two, or for a number of days per week.

Should a child need some form of EOTAS, the school may suggest a suitable placement.

Alternatively, parents can contact their local Education and Library Board to discuss the options available for their child.

Alternative Education Provision (AEP)

The Department’s Promoting and Sustaining Good Behaviour: Discipline Strategy for Schools set out the provision/expansion of worthwhile alternatives to mainstream schooling for disaffected pupils, many of them in their final 1 or 2 years of compulsory education.

A number of alternative education projects catering for such pupils already exist in both the statutory and voluntary sectors.