Decision details

To consider the Pupil Referral Unit Scrutiny Review final report.

The Executive resolved as follows:

To agree the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review of the Pupil Referral Unit final report action plan as outlined below and work towards their implementation:

1. That the Resilient Communities Scrutiny Committee supports the Blackpool Challenge Board in its objective to provide a consistent approach to exclusion across all schools and reduce the number of referrals to the Pupil Referral Unit through the introduction of the Behaviour and Attendance Partnership and Inclusion Board. In order to measure performance against this objective, the Resilient Communities Scrutiny Committee to receive regular updates on the number of exclusions and admissions to the Pupil Referral Unit  with a view to making further recommendations if sufficient progress is not demonstrated.

2.      That the Blackpool Challenge Board be requested to adopt as an action ‘to assess the feasibility of introducing an appropriate educational diversity module within every school in Blackpool in order to provide consistent early intervention and help address the causes of any behavioural problems before they escalate’. That the Blackpool Challenge Board reports to the Resilient Communities Scrutiny Committee regarding the implementation of this recommendation in June 2016.

3.      That the Inclusion Board be requested to consider the concerns of the Panel regarding the reintegration of students back into mainstream education from the Pupil Referral Unit and consider introducing a mechanism to effectively review the needs of children to be reintegrated and the wraparound of support to prevent future breakdown of reintegration. That the Inclusion Board reports to the Resilient Communities Scrutiny Committee regarding the implementation of this recommendation in June 2016.

4. That the Panel supports the proposed bid for external funding to the Department for Education Transformational Fund to provide wrap around social care and early help around clusters of schools to help address student behaviour and resilience. If the bid is successful it would result in a social worker being placed to work with a cluster of linked schools. If the bid is unsuccessful, the Panel supports the Director of People in her aim to provide a more joined up approach to service provision by introducing improved links between the Family in Need Service and Pupil Welfare Team. The Director of People to report to the Resilient Communities Scrutiny Committee regarding the progress made in relation to the bid in June 2016.