PRU

Early Insights

Teaching and learning

Where teaching is effective, pupils make good progress in their learning from their initial staring points in PRUs.

What’s going well

In the most effective PRUs, there are well-established plans and delivery of the Curriculum for Wales. In these PRUs, pupil well-being underpins the curriculum offer and the four purposes are purposefully inter-woven into the planning and teaching to provide pupils with a range of enriching experiences.
Where practice is effective, staff planning is highly organised and considers a range of purposeful assessment information. Tracking of pupil progress is well established, providing staff and pupils with an accurate understanding of where additional support is required. This approach supports pupils in making progress from their initial starting points.
In effective practices, the development of pupils’ skills across the curriculum, is well embedded, with a clear progression pathway in place. Staff accurately plan and deliver learning experiences that support pupil progress.
Many PRUs effectively identify and provide suitable interventions and support to target pupils additional learning needs. As a result, pupils access the curriculum offer effectively.
In most PRUs the health and well-being curriculum is well developed. The curriculum offer is relevant to the needs, ages, and abilities of pupils, addressing issues such as developing pupils’ understanding of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities and LGBTQ+ people well.
In the most effective PRUs, pupils develop their confidence, become successful learners, and reengage with education well. They respond positively to the high expectations set by staff, which helps them develop high expectations and a positive self-image.

What needs to improve

There is a wide variety across PRUs in their implementation plans for the Curriculum for Wales.
There remains variability in the quality of the assessment arrangements in place across PRUs. This limits the capacity of staff to accurately identify pupil progress and effectively target interventions to support gaps in pupils’ learning.
Overall, the development of skills across the curriculum is too inconsistent. This is particularly evident in the progressive development of pupils’ ICT skills.
The development of pupils’ skills to communicate in Welsh is too variable.
The quality and impact of the development of Curriculum for Wales are highly variable.

Well-being, care, support and guidance

The high quality of care, support and guidance available to pupils in PRUs impacts positively on their social, emotional, behavioural and mental health needs well.

What’s going well

In PRUs where attendance is high, and exclusions and rates of physical interventions are low, pupils are motivated to learn and access curriculum opportunities that meet their needs well.
Where pastoral support plans are used effectively, rigorous processes are in place to monitor their use. The return of pupils to full-time education is most effective when they actively participate in the processes and can identify the potential barriers they face.
The most effective PRUs have highly trained ALNCOs who support staff well in identifying underlying additional learning needs and provide effective interventions to address these needs. As a result, pupils access learning and make progress during their time at the PRU.
In nearly all PRUs, staff are highly trained and skilled in addressing the social, emotional, and mental health needs of pupils. Many PRUs have invested in professional learning in these areas as they have recognised this as a growing need amongst pupils who access their provision.
Nearly all PRUs have robust and secure safeguarding arrangements in place. They develop a strong safeguarding culture for staff and pupils. Pupils feel safe and build trusting and positive working relationships with staff, which help them to make informed decisions that have a positive impact on their behaviour and attitudes towards themselves and others during their time at the PRU.
Most PRUs provide useful support and information for pupils who transition to further training education or employment. They have robust links with Careers Wales which support pupils to have a clear understanding of the opportunities available to them when they leave the PRU at the ned of secondary education.
In the most effective PRUs, pupils develop a strong sense of belonging to their community. They have opportunities to make worthwhile contributions to their local community and learn to positively engage and contribute.
Many PRUs develop pupils’ skills and attitudes by giving them purposeful roles and responsibilities. This significantly develops pupils’ confidence and contributes to them understanding how to make positive life choices.
In the most effective PRUs, pupils experience valuable opportunities to develop a greater understanding of issues related to equality, diversity, and inclusion. In these PRUs, pupils engage in meaningful debates with staff and each other and feel that their views are heard, and that staff support them in making decisions.
In nearly all PRUs, staff have an in-depth understanding of the needs of their pupils and their families. This knowledge enables staff to develop strong and trusting working relationships with pupils during their time at the PRU. As a result, barriers such as poverty and disadvantage are minimised, ensuring an equitable experience for all pupils.
Partnership working with a range of external agencies is effective. This strengthens joined-up service provision for many pupils and families.

What needs to improve

Low rates of attendance continue to be an area for concern.
PRUs are too inconsistent in their use of pastoral support programmes (PSPs) and too many pupils access part-time education for too long.
Too many pupils with previously unidentified additional learning needs are placed in PRU provision.
Too few pupils access mainstream schools as part of a planned reintegration process or return successfully to full-time mainstream education. This limits the capacity of PRUs to provide placements to support other pupils.
There is too much variability in opportunities for pupils to express their views and influence the way they learn.

Leading and improving

Where leadership is effective, leaders, the management committee and local authority have a clear vision for the role of the PRU in the local authority.

What’s going well

The most effective leaders have strong communication with staff and foster strong working relationships. As a result, staff have high expectations and contribute to improvement planning at the PRU effectively. with staff and set them high expectations.
Where practice is most effective the management committee and local authority discharge their responsibilities securely. As a result, there is robust challenge and support, and leaders are held to account well.
In the most effective PRUs, leaders evaluate the quality of provision (including grant funding) to secure robust improvement planning.
Leaders establish productive relationships with families, and a range of external agencies such as social care and the local community.
Professional learning brings about improvements.
Where leadership is strong, they ensure that all pupils, including those pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) and pupils who are adversely affected by poverty and disadvantage, learn and make progress from their initial starting points at the PRU. In the most effective practice, leaders plan strategically for improvement. Self-evaluation processes are well established and include staff and pupils.
In the most effective practice, leaders have a precise understanding of staff strengths and provide relevant and regular opportunities for them to develop their skills. Leaders support staff to develop as reflective practitioners well.

What needs to improve

Where self-evaluation processes are under-developed, leaders do not plan for improvement robustly enough.
The range and quality of professional learning opportunities are too variable.
Where the management committee requires strengthening, they do not quality assure the work of the PRU well enough.
Where a local authority arrangement for the governance of their PRU are weak, PRU leaders do not have a sharp vision and planning for improvement is significantly hindered.
The role of the improvement partner to support curriculum development is inconsistent.

Overview of recommendations from inspections

In the 2023-2024 academic year, Estyn inspected three PRUs.

2

Two were given a recommendation to improve attendance.

2

Two were given a recommendation to clarify the roles and responsibilities of leaders.

2

Two were given a recommendation to work with the local authority, one to establish a strategic vision and one to improve the quality of the learning environment.