Academy freedoms for Pupil Referral Units
The Government’s Behaviour Advisor Charlie Taylor has called on the best Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to take advantage of academy freedoms, to drive up quality of education and develop closer relationships with schools in their area.
From today, excellent PRUs are now able to apply to become an academy, with the first opening from September this year. This means they will take full control of their budgets and staffing, allowing them to work in the best interest of their pupils. They will also be able to build better partnerships with other schools, diversify their provision, develop new areas of expertise, and help other PRUs to improve.
PRU and other Alternative Provision providers cater for vulnerable pupils who do not attend mainstream schools because of things like behaviour, exclusion, illness, teenage pregnancy, or because they do not have a school place. Figures published for the first time last year show that in 2009/10, only 1.4 per cent of pupils in alternative provision achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C, or equivalent, including English and mathematics. This compares with 53.4 per cent in all schools in England.
PRUs have not been able to become Academies until now. However, the Government believes that they should have the same opportunities as other great schools.
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... (DfE - 27 February)