TAMESIDE’S provision of education for pupils that have been largely excluded from mainstream schools has been rated good after previously being told it had to improve.
Four years after being told by Ofsted things must get better, the borough’s Pupil Referral Service has achieved an upturn in its ranking.
Looking after 140 pupils aged between five and 16 years old over two sites, Dukinfield’s White Bridge College and Denton’s Elmbridge School, the service has been told it is having a good effect.
White Bridge College, on Globe Lane, also takes in pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties but many told inspectors teachers help them to get back into learning and improve their behaviour and attitudes.
And an expectation to do their best and to follow the school’s guidance about behaviour means most succeed in gaining useful qualifications or rejoining mainstream schools to continue their education.
What the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) provides both in and out of the classroom was also praised, with a report adding: “Pupils enjoy a range of activities outside the classroom.
“They complete educational programmes in places such as the zoo. They also have opportunities to be involved in sports, such as learning how to play rugby with a professional rugby club.
“There are various activities which leaders provide to support pupils’ development beyond the classroom.
“For instance, pupils take part in the work of The Prince’s Trust in order to boost their confidence and self-esteem.”
In a traditional education setting, inspectors found: “Leaders analyse the underlying causes of pupils’ needs and difficulties effectively.
“Leaders use this information to provide a curriculum that meets pupils’ needs well. There is a range of subjects to support pupils in improving their life chances and strengthening their
self-esteem.
“For most subjects, leaders have thought carefully about the content of the curriculum and the order in which to teach it.
“Leaders provide teachers with support if they need it. Staff explain clearly to pupils what they need to learn. In most subjects, there are effective ways of checking that pupils remember what they learn.
“The majority of pupils who stay until the end of Year 11 leave with qualifications that help them to move on to further education or employment.
“Other pupils have short-term stays in the school. Leaders and other staff work with them to enable them to improve their behaviour and their attitudes to learning. These pupils usually make a successful return to mainstream schools.
“Staff are well trained in managing pupils’ behaviour. As a result, the school is an orderly environment. When there are behaviour incidents, staff deal with them effectively and calmly.
Teachers successfully use gentle insistence to persuade reluctant pupils to take part in learning.”
Ofsted inspectors in their visit on May 5 and 6 arrangements for safeguarding are effective and robust.
Careful checks are carried out on pupils who are absent from school to ensure they are safe.
Inspectors found the PRU, which has a total of 140 pupils under headteacher Anthony Benedict, needs to use assessment strategies more effectively to check pupils’ understanding, in order to identify misconceptions and plan their next steps in learning, ‘in a small number of subjects.’
Elmbridge School, on Elm Grove, looks after pupils at key stage 2 and key stage 3 level – or traditional primary and secondary school age.
White Bridge College has pupils that would otherwise attend a sixth form college but the report adds: “Leaders also make use of offsite leisure and fitness facilities to support pupils’ and students’ education.”