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A little thread on getting back to school, catch-up and other bits from a PRU perspective that I’ve been trying to finish for a few days.
Months ago SAGE knew that schools being back in September may require more mitigation elsewhere! Why this never happened in the autumn totally blows my mind! We got to the point that schools needed closing because the system wasn’t managed to allow them to remain open....
Being off school, whilst in the interests of health just now, is an absolute disaster.
I’ve been outspoken before about the rights of PRU and AP kids to be equally safe at home and I still believe this.... but being out of school for them is bad, really bad.
I’ve been outspoken before about the rights of PRU and AP kids to be equally safe at home and I still believe this.... but being out of school for them is bad, really bad.
In a PRU relationships are hugely important; we already know that changing a pupils’ behaviour is a long term project. After all, punishment hasn’t worked at this point, has it?
Months off school are negative for relationships. Let’s say you were excluded in December 2019, perhaps there was a wait for a PRU place and one didn’t become available before March 2020... you finally start on site in September 2020, complete 1 term and then you’re off again.
This means out of 4 terms you’ve been in school for 1! Forget lost learning for a minute, the lost relationship building, behaviour improvements, trust, confidence and more is catastrophic and may never be recovered in time for your next step in education to be successful...
Now, these aren’t the kids whose parents are busy organising zoom quizzes with their pals either... they’re at home, often isolated by choice and sometimes living in poverty! We help all we can but that’s the reality....
Lost learning...
most pupils arrive at PRUs or AP having lost a certain amount of learning. If you’re excluded more than you’re in, it’s inevitable! We tend to be fairly well versed in getting kids to where they need to be. Factually, I’ve never done it with ‘extra hours’
most pupils arrive at PRUs or AP having lost a certain amount of learning. If you’re excluded more than you’re in, it’s inevitable! We tend to be fairly well versed in getting kids to where they need to be. Factually, I’ve never done it with ‘extra hours’
What we have done it with is great pastoral support, small groups and high staffing ratios. Interventions such as @ThriveApproach @RuthMiskinEdu consistent staff and care....
Extra hours working is a myth; most of our kids would fight against them or not even bother coming at all..... the danger here is that we compound an already terrible situation and make it significantly worse.
What I do know is that schools know their communities really well; they know how to meet their needs and they know how to support them....this being the case, if the government are serious about ‘catch up’ then they need to put the trust into schools...
This means setting some very broad parameters and giving schools the freedom and the funding to do what they think is best. For some schools this may well be some extra hours. For many, however, smaller groups, higher staffing ratios and high quality interventions with CPD....
....would be far better. The cost of this is going to be immense; it should run into billions a year!
Transitions become key; moving back into mainstream is still the ultimate goal for many; it can already go wrong and this will make it worse. Fund a long term programme to support transition fully...
Our kids (PRU / AP) also need doors opening for them as they move onto post-16 or employment. Highly supported post-16 provision is sadly lacking and NEET figures are going to rise drastically....
Guarantee places in colleges with the support required to make them long term successful; guarantee apprenticeships for those that want them and provide support; guarantee and properly fund post-16 AP with some urgency.... underpin jobs for these kids when they leave education!
Oh, whilst we are at it, properly end austerity and ensure none of our kids live in poverty!
