When mainstream isn't working — and special school isn't the answer.

The Viaduct provides specialist education programmes for autistic children who are struggling in, or currently outside, mainstream education — including provision commissioned under EOTAS arrangements and as alternative provision. Programmes are delivered in a purpose-built education centre on a calm rural site, with high, flexible staffing ratios and integrated access to the site's therapy facilities.

EOTAS stands for Education Otherwise Than At School — a legal arrangement under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014 through which a local authority arranges education outside a school setting for a child whose needs cannot be met in one. For some autistic children, particularly after a difficult school experience, EOTAS provides the legal framework for education in an environment where they can actually learn. The Viaduct is designed to deliver exactly that kind of provision.

Our programmes are designed for autistic children and young people for whom mainstream settings aren't currently working — whether they're enrolled but struggling, at risk of exclusion, or out of education altogether. Many arrive carrying real negativity about "school"; part of our job is helping them unlearn it.

Our reset programme typically runs one day per week over an eight-week period. It focuses on three things: exploring each child's autism and developing strategies that work for them, unlearning the negative associations built up around education, and rebuilding learning habits through positive reinforcement. The objective is agreed at the outset — a return to mainstream where possible, a placement in our own educational offering (subject to capacity), or another agreed pathway — always aimed at the child fulfilling their potential.

Staffing is high and deliberately flexible, adjusted to each child's needs rather than fixed by timetable, with sessions delivered by qualified teachers supported by staff with specialist understanding of autism. Tell us about your child and we'll tell you exactly how their days would be staffed.

No — The Viaduct is not a school and doesn't try to be one. We provide specialist programmes that complement or substitute for school arrangements: commissioned provision under EOTAS, alternative provision placements, and short-term interventions designed to get children back into education that works for them.

Contact us directly to discuss the child and what's needed — we'll be honest about fit and capacity before anything is committed. We'll walk you through the commissioning route that applies in your case, and we can provide the documentation commissioners need.

Outcomes are agreed with the family and commissioner at the start of a programme, and progress against them is reviewed and reported at agreed intervals. We measure what matters for each child — engagement, communication, regulation, readiness for the next step — not just attendance.

Directly — they share a site, a team and a philosophy. A child's education programme can incorporate the site's therapeutic approaches, including movement- and animal-assisted work, where that supports their engagement and regulation. For many autistic children, this integration is the difference between provision that contains them and provision that changes things.

Start with a conversation — no forms, no commitment. Tell us what's happened and where things stand, and we'll tell you honestly whether we can help, what a programme might look like, and what the commissioning routes are. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so and point you somewhere better.