Help for North Yorkshire pupils outside the mainstream

11:23am Friday 28th November 2008

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YOUNG people who cannot attend school are to benefit from a new service being rolled out across North Yorkshire.

Pupils at risk of exclusion or disaffection and those experiencing school phobias or long-term illness are set to gain from North Yorkshire County Council’s Pupil Referral Service scheme.

It aims to raise standards and bring as many young people as possible back into mainstream education.

The council’s flagship unit at Harrogate was graded outstanding by Ofsted inspectors. Since September it has extended its reach to become the Harrogate Pupil Referral Service. It will be re-launched on a new site next Wednesday (3).

The council is planning to introduce more units across the county, including one at Northallerton, which will serve the whole Hambleton and Richmondshire area.

The service will work closely with agencies including social care; health and mental health; parents; carers and families to create personal curricula for pupils, which will include work towards GCSEs and on vocational courses.

It will also be extended to cater to primary school pupils to try and prevent them becoming permanently excluded and maintain their learning despite non-attendance because of ill-health.

Vulnerable groups of children will be offered extra support, such as those being looked after, young carers and young offenders. Pupils at Northallerton will follow a similar programme to those in Harrogate. They begin their day with breakfast at 8am and go through an intensive series of lessons until lunchtime.

They then take part in a range of afternoon activities including work towards the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme, business and enterprise projects, cooking, Outward Bound and work on the unit’s designated allotment.

Samantha Campbell, head of Harrogate PRS, said: “We offer a very high standard of education here to the most vulnerable pupils in the area. We offer them a package which is tailor-made to their needs but we have very high expectations of what they should be achieving. We want them to leave with as many qualifications as possible to improve their life-chances and we do everything we strategically can to get them to re-engage.”

Nigel Ogley, network co-ordinator for behaviour, emotional and social difficulties, said: “All of these sites will offer educational provision to those requiring education out of school for whatever reason. They will also provide outreach support for local secondary schools and will work collaboratively with the enhanced 14-19 curriculum.

“Also throughout the county, enhancing the provision for special educational needs and those who require additional support, we are developing enhanced primary provisions. They will be linked with the secondary provisions.”