In the UK, a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) (previously known as Pupil Re-integration Unit by some
Local Education Authorities
Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...
) is an alternative education provision which is specifically organised to provide education for children who are not able to attend for a number of reasons. These include:
Neurodiverse learning styles which make it challenging for the pupil to engage in mainstream school;
A pupil having a short- or long-term illness, including mental health illness;
Anxiety or school phobias (which may have been triggered by bullying) preventing the pupil from comfortably attending school;
Behavioural issues that have led to other pupils being disrupted in school;
A child waiting for a mainstream school placement to become available.
Each LEA has a duty under section 19 of the
Education Act 1996
The Education Act 1996 is Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It led to the establishment of special local authorities, who for example would identify children with special educational needs
Special educational needs (SEN), also known ...
to provide suitable education for children of compulsory school age who cannot attend school. Placing pupils in PRUs is just one of the ways in which local authorities can ensure that they can comply with this duty. PRUs are a mixture of public units and privately managed companies.
There are currently over 421 PRUs in England. Between 2002 and 2003, 17,523 pupils attended PRUs at some point. Although PRUs do not have to provide a full
National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with Federated stat ...
, they should offer a basic curriculum which includes English, mathematics, the sciences,
PSHE
Personal, social, health and economic education is a school curriculum subject in England that focuses on strengthening the knowledge, skills, and connections to keep children and young people healthy and safe and prepare them for life and work. ...
and
ICT.
A PRU is treated the same as any other type of school, subject to the same inspections from
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
. Since September 2010, some PRUs are referred to as "Short Stay Schools", although the government still broadly refer to them as PRUs or Alternative Provision (APs).
References
{{Reflist
External links
A summary of the Green Paper - Every child mattersfrom
The National Archives
National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives.
Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...
Pupil Referral Unitsfrom
The National Archives
National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives.
Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...
PRU Conversion to Academiesfrom
Department for Education
The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
A Department ...
Education in the United Kingdom