Warwickshire County Council defends move to close pupil unit

At a recent meeting held at the unit in Pound Lane, Lillington, to where excluded pupils are currently referred, fears were voiced about what effects the closure would have on young people and teaching in the area.

Andy Summers, president of the Warwickshire branch of the National Union of Teachers, said: “The NUT remains alarmed that such a fundamental part of educational support in the county might be closed without a firm body of evidence to reassure headteachers, staff in mainstream and special schools, parents, young people, support services and the Warwickshire public that the suggested new strategy is fit for the purpose.”

But a spokeswoman for the council, which runs the centre, said it had received support from headteachers regarding the proposal, which was put forward following concerns raised by Ofsted about the quality of education offered at the unit.

Under the proposed arrangement, schools will be provided with resources to work together to provide support to young people in ways that prevent the number of exclusions.

Through funds provided by the council, schools will be able to develop their own learning support units, buy family support services or hire specialist additional teaching staff.

Speaking about the proposals, Cllr Heather Timms, responsible for issues affecting children and young people, said: “We have recognised that we need to do more to help pupils at risk of exclusion to reach their full potential.

“I believe a greater emphasis on early intervention practices is the best way to achieve this.

“We are proposing devolving funding to schools to play a more active role in addressing exclusion because they know their pupils best.”

The unit in Lillington will continue to run until July 2012, while the council plans to pilot its proposals in schools across the county.