dd has been expelled from school Y11, anybody with experience of PRU please come and talk to me

I really feel for you. I have a son who is in Year 6 who has had many behavioural challenges in his time at school, albeit due to a disability. He had many temporary exclusions at his old school, parents complaining to the Head etc about him. It was truly awful for him, and us as a family. IMO there is no point fighting a school that doesn't want a child there. My son was not excluded permenantly, but the school requested his removal, stating 'they could not meet his complex needs'. Nearly broke my heart, and sure I could have kicked up a fuss and insisted he stayed under inclusion rules. Allowing the move to a more suitable school was the best thing that has happened to him. He did not go to a PRU, but to a school with a Resourced Provision in a rough area that in my blinkered little middle class world I considered horrible. I was wrong, it is a fantastic, caring, inclusive, supportive school. In fact it has children from army families who move around a lot, children from roughish part of the City, many children with special needs, high level free school meals blah blah blah. Still managed to top the league tables in our county last year. Just trying to say, sometimes what seems terrifying and outside your comfort zone is what is best for your particular child. A school that does not want her is not.
I also have 2 perfectly behaved hardworking little boys. Although I wouldn't like their education to be disrupted I cannot stand this sanctimonious attitude saying 'keep these naughty children away from our children's precious education'. That 'naughty' child deserves a future and some understanding, people very rarely know the reasons behind this behaviour.
I am now terrified of the move to high school, and of going back to all the negativity again, but that is another story......

OP I'm late too, but I would be fighting with the school, if only because I know of one "managed" move where the LA agreed to fund an "distance learning course", which might be suitable for your DD. I also agree this does not sound like all the hoops I know have to be gone through in my LA have been gone through for your DD.
For instance any move to the "short stay" school would be temporary at first, with a first "managed move" being to another school in the area.

I'm going to throw another bone in here. People have very negative connotations of PRUs - I can only speak for my borough - thye do tremendous work with pupils who cannot cope with mainstream.

And as a parent I can see why outsiders get 'antsy' that on-the-face-of-it disruptive pupils get 1-2-1 and small group tuitions, having spent the past 2-3 years spoiling classes for mainstream pupils.

No one pupil should have the right to spoil other pupils learning.

On the other hand , there is massive underfunding for pupils who cannot learn in mainstream.

Op - no one will flame you as 'failed' parent. My son narrowly avoided the PRU - I have no idea how as I was demanding he be sent from Y8 - school refused on the grounds he was naive and ultimately found an alternative education provider for him.

I feel sorry for your daughter but if she really cannot behave and conform in a mainstream school at the expense of other children I find it hard to understand why you are so surprised that she has been invited to leave. She had done four years at the school so they must already have been very patient with her. Presumably the 29 other children in her classes are also taking GCSE's this year and the school and possibly some of their parents feel the educational opportunities for the majority should be maximised to ensure that children who are prepared to and want to study and to achieve are able to do so.

My daughter suffered two years in an outstanding London comprehensive that had four or five children like your daughter and about whom it was prepared to do nothing. They were intimidating, rude and disruptive and had a negative effect on the entire school community. They still do. They should not have the opportunity to impact on the educational opportunities of others. When I was at school such pupils would have been expelled.

There needs to be more money available within the system to fund specialist units for children like your daughter, partly to remove them from the mainstream system where they cause incalculable damage and partly to ensure they are able to maximise their own potential in safe and nurturing environments staffed by specialists with the skills to help them to do so.

Had such units been available for the miscreants at our dd's school she woudl have stayed there it was an otherwise very good school. Fortunately we were able to transfer her to the independent sector where she seems to be blossoming and much happier than she has been for the last two school years. It is sad that she has said how different life feels and how she doesn't feel frightened or that she has to watch her back all the time. The better remedy would be for more money to be available for the children who cannot or will not conform but the system doesn't facilitate it. We can pay £13,000 a year for dd; that £13,000 would be much better spent on children like your dd. She woudl get what she needs and the remaining children woudl be left in peace to maximise their potential and it woudl be a win win all round. At dd's school the other 27 in the class continue to suffer and two girsl who continually disrupt (I believe because of their own insecurities about achievement and lack of support at home) remain square pegs in round holes who receive inadequate help.

I think it depends where the PRU is. My son was at one temporarily and shouldn't have been [he has a statement] and it was a holding pen and very little was learnt.

As a teacher who works in alternative curriculum I would think the school should have some provision and combine that with work/ college/ etc. Although she hasn't done anything 'serious' its low level constant disruption and constant time consuming hard work for staff. If you have any questions pm me, I am not judging as I have a very difficult teenager as you may see if you check my other threads. Take care

HI

I hope I am not to late to let you know that this sort of PE is unlawful!! Schools have been using this method of removing kids from school for all sorts of reasons for a long time. It is a very big issue with CSJ who reported that schools were acting unethically and illegally by asking parents to voluntarily remove their children from school under threat of permanent exclusion. The Government Guidance, Improving behaviour states that a parent must NEVER be pressured into removing a child under threat of permanent exclusion. This has happened to me and I am still fighting the school and the Local Authority. It is an appalling situation and I hope anyone reading this fights any school who tries to force their child out in this manner. There is a marvellous artice called The New Secret Garden by Tom Ogg which explains why schools do this. Please can we stop this happening to other children.

This is a really interesting thread considering a report out today. A friend of mine is looking for cases of 'unofficial' exclusion - ie where like expelledfromschool, your daughter has been shifted to a pru... this is the page for the story: bit.ly/pmdBj9

Nessus what a brilliant helpful response. You sound like you are in the right job.

My friends son was excluded and sent to a PRU and has done brilliantly well.
I hope things work out for you and your daughter.

nessus, that was one of the most well thought out, helpful and intelligent responses I have read for a long time.

I hope the OP finds it the same way.

FEEL not fill!!

You get four perspectives with me - I teach (CTLLS), was expelled from secondary school(s) in 1994/95 (Yr.8 & Yr.9), have worked in PRUs as a teacher and I have a spirited DD who I have been known to threaten with deportation in the past to get her to reassess her behavior at school!

Firstly, think it great that there is a vocational element to the expulsion order. Seriously, many parents in her year group would have been grateful for this I know. If your daughter resents going to 'centre' she will either not attend or be disruptive whilst in attendance. On the other hand, a VQ scheme will seem almost like starting college/6th form early and you should try and sell her the benefits of this early on. If she really dislikes being told what to do, let her know that if she approaches this right she could be given the opportunity of choosing her subjects and options which should encourage a sense of control, responsibility, commitment and maturity on her part.

I am all for making the best of situations hence why instead of going on about why did the school wait until the start of the new school year to inform you. Why were they happy for her to start on roll for Yr.11 if they knew on the last day of term of Yr.10 she would not be retaining her place. Appeal you could but as already mentioned, why would you want this for your child. It is like being served with a divorce notice and refusing to sign...

Your daughter is pretty lucky that she made it this far - she could be on her 2nd or 3rd expulsion if her documented misbehaving really has been going on for that long. And that would be terrible because no-one, not even PRU would want to touch her.

Another option is that she could sit take her GCSEs privately (my experience is that students at a PRU have had their education so severely disrupted that they are just not where they need to be for their age group which means it is often necessary to enter them for alternative qualifications rather than the general exams). City & Guilds offer equivalent qualifications but depending on what she hopes to do in the future she may still need GCSE specifically. Be reminded that until she is 18, qualifications can be attained for free/almost so it is in her best interest to resume her studies sooner rather than later.

Lastly, I would encourage you to find out from your child what is really going on - myself, I was being bullied, had a difficult at home and was in and out of care at crucial developmental stages. Not an excuse but mitigating nonetheless because people do not play up for no reason IMHO

I wish your daughter good luck, she will have to deal with the ramifications of her actions for many years but she will hopefully positively astound you in years to come because that spirited personality of hers will actually be a plus in years to come as we all know but for now, she must learn that socialisation is a must if you do not want to be labeled and failed before you have even started. I know it is hard for you not to fill like a failure right now but without sounding harsh, it really is not about you but your young adult - note I did not write child - let her learn from this by enabling her to mover herself on, if you make it your fight, she will just keep repeating the same pattern because they need to learn that there are somethings that we cannot make right...

Also why as parent would op want to get dd In a school were she is not want so much so the teachers are shouting with joy at the news she is leaving

admission in my sons school it would be some schools are a bit slack but my dd school has a line draw in the sand if you cross it you are out

Ity depends on the ethos and stiffness of the school

Was it swearing AT the teacher or just swearing within earshot of a teacher? Because swearing at the teacher is a major punishment at my school and a couple of instances of this would lead to internal seclusion. Sounds like there's a long catalogue of misdemeanour and perhaps more serious incidents. How has she been punished before? What's the behaviour policy? There should be a clear policy as to how students can get up to exclusion.

Another issue: how has she done English already when she's just started year 11? Are you sure she's done everything? Is very unusual to complete the entire course this early.

This needs to be sorted out quickly.
Refusal to do PE, lateness etc is not things where exclusion is considered appropriate. Swearing etc might be but not a permanent exclusion.
I repeat what I said in my first post, a managed move is not an exclusion but from what you have said, I would suggest that the school is using a managed move as a means of getting rid of your daughter.
Unless you agree to the managed move it should not be happening and as such you need to consider very carefully whether the managed move to a PRU is actually the right move for your daughter or whether you are being pushed into it by the school.

It doesn't sound like behaviour warranting exclusion .
What have they done /offered to help your DD manage her behaviour ?
Apart from punishing her ?

Maybe you are right pottering I expect there are good and bad teachers in every school.

Sounds like your daughte has done lots of silly petty things as my charge had done the main one not doing his top button up. Trouble is as with your daughter once they start to get a bad name it sticks. I think she will be fine good luck and let us know how she gets on.

Pru's can be excellent any many pupils for whom
School is nit the answer really thrive there with smaller classes, more one to one time and a real focus on emotional development if needed.

But i disagree with redglow - the teachers there are nit 'more dedicated' than those in mainstream schools , they're just as dedicated but teaching in a very different environment with a different set of rules and goals

I know exactly how you feel it's an absolutely awful situation to be in. On a positive note the teachers at the PRU were wonderful unfortunately the kids were very disturbed. the harsh reality is that the majority of children that attend the PRU are unable to function in mainstream school and thus have extreme problem behaviours.

I have also worked with a variety of PRU's in my professional career as well and to be brutally honest they were all very similar.

Really hope things work out for your daughter

Do not worry she will be fine, could you not push the school for a managed move to another school not a PRU. Go and see a the PRU they must really vary. I feel sorry for you and your daughter such a nasty suprise for you.

You're in a pooey situation, but it'll be ok. You're bound to feel the way you do now and it's easy to see the downside to everything. But.... that's blinking life for you..... throws poo at you in all shapes and we have to just bat it back (somewhere).

It'll be ok.