Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 provides that - each local education authority shall make arrangements for the provision of suitable education at school for those children of compulsory school age who by reason of exclusion from school or otherwise, may not for any period receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them. Section 19 provision includes Pupil Referral Units.
The Clifton Centre is a Key Stage 4 Pupil Referral Unit with capacity for 70 students. All have been permanently excluded from mainstream school or are at risk of such.
It is not possible for individual parents to apply for their child to attend The Clifton Centre.
The students on respite provision are referred through the In Year Fair Access Panel which comprises of all secondary mainstream Headteachers, the LA Officer for Admissions and Exclusions, a LA Assistant Director, the Exec Head of the KS3 and KS4 PRUs and the Head of the Pupil Health Referral Unit. This panel also agrees re-integration for pupils who have been permanently excluded.
On admission all pupils are thoroughly base-line assessed in order that the PRU has an accurate picture of their starting points. These assessments are in literacy and numeracy, the core subjects, attendance, preferred learning styles and personal, social, behaviour starting points. The PRU then creates a Provision Map with targets to ensure accelerated progress in all areas. The targets are reviewed termly, reported to parents/carers and used to inform the follow-on Map. Each student has a personalised timetable to meet individual needs.
Progress is monitored on a weekly basis using a red/amber/green system linked to learning objectives. Underachievers in Maths and English are identified and action plans drawn up to address unsatisfactory progress. The plan is to roll out this intervention to all subject areas.
The aims of the PRU are to deliver a provision that enables the students to make good or better progress and to improve their life chances. There is a focus on positive destinations post compulsory education age and re-integration whenever appropriate. IYFAP ensures that all pupils who make the necessary improvements are given the opportunity to move back into mainstream. The PRU will also assess those students who need specialist provision and will co-ordinate Formal Assessments to explore the needs of these children and how they can best be met.
In order to achieve these aims there is an ongoing drive to ensure that teaching is of the highest possible standard. All staff are set challenging targets during appraisal which are linked to the School Development Plan. Currently 89% of teaching is judged to be good or better with no inadequate. The PRU has a structured process for addressing under-performing teachers whereby staff are clear about what support they should receive and their own accountability for performance.
We have a team dedicated to the pastoral care of the students which includes a family liaison co-ordinator, Vocational Advisors, HLTAs, TA3s and form tutors. This team works with outside agencies to support Child Protection Plans, Child in Need/Team around the Child actions, CAFs and Looked After Children PEPs.