Response to Pupil Referral Units announcement

ContinYou's response to white paper's proposed changes in supporting excluded pupils.

Leading learning charity ContinYou supports the move to improve the quality of education for excluded pupils. Our education system has often failed many of the young people who find themselves in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), therefore we need to re-consider the processes by which we facilitate learning. 

It is important to recognise that young people have a range of abilities and learning styles and it may be that learning outside the classroom is a better environment for some, improving their acquisition of certain skills. ContinYou believes that personalised learning is the key to success for students with a variety of needs and an individualised programme taught within the context of a safe community is often the best way to meet need. 

Private companies, charities and voluntary community organisations could have a major role to play in offering a broader curriculum to young people in PRUs and in mainstream schools, but that it needs to be offered as part of a well planned and integrated approach to children services as a whole, of which education is one part. 

ContinYou recognises the value of early identification and support as a way of addressing the needs of children and young people at risk of displaying anti-social behaviour and has developed a number of programmes that focus on improving the social and emotional health and well being of vulnerable groups and their families. The impact of these programmes, such as Share, Pyramid Clubs and the support we offer breakfast clubs and supplementary schools has been proven to improve young people’s attendance, behaviour, concentration and attitudes to learning.