Special needs · EOTAS and alternative provision
Education that comes to the student when school can’t
Pencil Spaces gives EOTAS and alternative provision teams one online classroom for every student, with attendance, recordings, safeguarding and work saved between lessons.
Free for 2 weeks on any paid plan. Card required. No charge when the trial ends.
Area
Provision
Who it helps
EOTAS providers, online alternative provision, local authorities, virtual schools, home and hospital teaching teams, tutors and families
Also called
Education otherwise than at school, EOTAS (England, Wales) · alternative provision, AP (UK) · homebound or home and hospital instruction (US) · distance education (Australia)
What lessons need
Reliable attendance records, safeguarding, consistency, flexible timing, evidence of progress
In Pencil Spaces
7 features available today
Customer story
Part of
What does online alternative provision need from a classroom?
Students in EOTAS and alternative provision are out of school because of anxiety, illness, exclusion or needs a school couldn’t meet. Their classroom has to be easy to reach, and commissioners need to know it’s safe.
- Proof that lessons happenedAutomatic Attendance · AvailableAutomatic Attendance logs when each student and tutor joins and leaves, the evidence commissioners ask for.
- Concerns reach your teamSafeguarding Alerts · AvailableAI reviews each lesson’s speech, chat and direct messages for harassment and safety concerns and alerts your team, across every tutor you employ.
- A recording policy you setRecording Policies · AvailableRequire recording across your provision, allow it or switch it off, and leave student video out for privacy.
- Work that waitsPersistent Spaces · AvailableEach student’s work stays in their Space, ready for the next lesson and for review.
- Progress you can showProgress Review · AvailableA summary across many lessons shows what a student has covered and how far they’ve come.
- A small first stepOne-Click Join · AvailableStudents join in the browser from one link with nothing to install, so a nervous first lesson isn’t lost to setup.
- Lessons that moveScheduling · AvailableMove a lesson around an appointment or a hard day, with the link unchanged.
Customer story
- Love2Learn EducationCustomer storyA Birmingham team of 40+ educators teaching children with SEND online
Why is online alternative provision hard to run?
Many students arrive after long gaps in learning and with little trust in school. A new link, a login problem or a new face can end a lesson before it starts.
Providers also answer to commissioners, who need proof that lessons happened and that students are safe.
What does a lesson look like in Pencil Spaces?
A tutor teaches four students one-to-one across the day, each in their own Space. Last week’s work is on the board when each lesson opens.
Attendance is recorded as each student joins. After the lesson, a summary goes to the family.
Tips for running alternative provision online
- Keep the same tutor and the same time where you can.
- Start with short lessons, and build up.
- Agree with each student how they’ll take part, including camera use.
- Share attendance and progress with the commissioner on a set rhythm.
- Plan the route back to school or the next setting from the start.
Good to know
Pencil Spaces is the classroom. Your team brings the teachers, the curriculum and the reporting to commissioners. Attendance and other data can pass to your own systems through the API.
Questions people ask
What is EOTAS?
EOTAS means education otherwise than at school. In England, a local authority can arrange it through a child’s EHCP when school isn’t suitable. A package often includes online tuition, therapy and mentoring.
Is Pencil Spaces an alternative provision provider?
No. Pencil Spaces is the online classroom that providers teach in. SEND tutoring companies such as Love2Learn Education teach all of their online lessons in Pencil Spaces.
How is attendance recorded?
Automatic Attendance records students and teachers as they join and leave every lesson. The record can pass to the system your team uses through the API.
How does Pencil Spaces keep students safe?
Pencil Spaces runs on-device safeguarding in every lesson and uses AI after each lesson to flag harassment and safety concerns to your team. Recording Policies, Incognito Observation for leaders and an audit log give programs oversight. Pencil Spaces is COPPA, FERPA, GDPR and CCPA compliant.
Related needs
- School refusal and avoidance (EBSA)
- SEMH needs
- Medical needs and long-term illness
- Autism
- Pathological demand avoidance (PDA)
- Mental health needs
- Every special need
Related problems
- A child who refuses to go
- Catching up after absences and summers
- Signs of harm or distress go unnoticed
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