Pupil referral units (PRUs)
What is a pupil referral unit (PRU)?
PRUs are a type of school, set up and run by LAs to provide education for
children who cannot attend school.
LAs have a duty under section 19 of the Education Act 1996 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 LAs can ensure that
they can comply with this duty.
Who attends a PRU?
PRUs are often thought of as a place where badly behaved children are sent, but
they can actually cater for a wide range of pupils — those who cannot
attend school because of medical problems, teenage mothers and pregnant
schoolgirls, pupils who have been assessed as being school phobic, and pupils
awaiting a school place. They do also provide education for pupils who have
been excluded and they can be used to provide short placements for those who
are at risk of exclusion.
Some PRUs cater for particular kinds of pupils (units for teenage mothers and pregnant schoolgirls, for example), while others will have a mix of different kinds. But usually, pupils who are in PRUs because of behavioural problems are not taught alongside pupils who are in PRUs for other reasons. For most pupils, the main focus of PRUs should be on getting them back into a school.
What kind of education does a PRU provide?
PRUs can provide full-time or part-time education. The minimum level of
education to be provided varies depending on the age of the child and their
reason for being in the PRU. Children with medical needs, for example, may not
be able to manage a full-time curriculum; they should receive as much education
as their condition allows but the minimum should be five hours a week. While
young people who have been excluded should have full-time education which, for
those in Key Stage 4, is 25 hours a week.
PRUs can offer education directly, or they can arrange packages that involve external providers such as FE colleges, employers and work-based trainers, and programmes provided by voluntary or private bodies. Often they will provide a combination of both. PRUs do not have to teach the full national curriculum but they must offer a balanced and broadly based curriculum, which should include English, mathematics, science, personal, social and health education (PSHE), ICT and, post-13, careers education and guidance.
Many PRUs also work with schools to support vulnerable pupils and those at risk of exclusion. They may do this through outreach support to pupils within the schools, or by dual registration, where a pupil stays on the register of their school but is also registered with, and attends, the PRU.
Registering, opening or closing a PRU
PRUs should be registered with the DCSF so that they can be inspected by
Ofsted. There is no formal process for opening or closing a PRU, but there
should be reasonable consultation locally, including with other PRUs and their
management committees, and with local schools that send pupils to a PRU that it
is proposed to close. The DCSF should be notified of opening and closing of any
PRU and any other relevant changes.
Guidance
See other guidance and legislation.
Published: 10 August 2009
