Leaving a pupil referral unit: Exploring the transitions and post-16 destinations of care experienced young people across Wales
Young people with experiences of care continue to have poorer outcomes when compared with their peers, in areas including health, education and wellbeing. As a result, care experienced young people continue to be at increased risk of unemployment, poverty and other forms of social exclusion. In recent years a number of initiatives have been set up to reduce the educational achievement gap for these young people and to support their future aspirations. Despite much promising work, however, those with experiences of care continue to be over represented within Pupil Referral Units (PRUs).
Studies have shown that many PRU pupils enjoy their time in PRUs, where a sense of belonging and confidence can be restored. But research has also shown that exclusions can disadvantage learners who are already vulnerable, with greater risk of long-term poverty and criminal and antisocial behaviour. It can become increasingly difficult for PRU learners to not only make successful transitions into education, employment or training but also to sustain them once there. In 2020, almost half of all PRU pupils aged 16 in England dropped out of education, training and work altogether (Wilcock, 2020). A care experienced PRU pupil who is aged 16 is therefore likely to be faced with multiple challenges when it comes to their future outlook.
The Fellowship has two main stages which are;
- to understand the factors that lead to care experienced young people being excluded from a mainstream school in Wales, and
- to explore the processes that support care experienced PRU learners in preparing for post-16 destinations.
A group of these pupils will then be tracked over 12 months, as they enter post-16 pathways, to understand the facilitators and barriers of sustainable transitions. To address these stages, a longitudinal case study approach will be used.
In Stage One, a rapid review of the literature in relation to school exclusions will be conducted, along with senior staff interviews in mainstream schools, to understand school exclusion policy.
In Stage Two, PRU staff and other professionals involved in post-16 transitions will be interviewed within two PRUs, to understand the PRU transition processes that exist.
These case studies will also offer care experienced pupils with an opportunity to express their opinions and experiences, in relation to school exclusions, PRU transitions and their future aspirations. This will then be followed up by two rounds of interviews with the care experienced young people, firstly when they begin new courses in education, training or work, and again, 12 months later. To date, no research has previously tracked a group of vulnerable learners in this way across Wales. In doing so, the project offers the opportunity for a unique insight into how PRUs support young people, and what factors facilitate sustainable transitions. This comes at a time when Welsh Government isinvested in improving this area of education, and recognise the need for longitudinal work, in order to understand good PRU practice (Welsh Government, 2017).
This study will therefore inform education policy on school exclusion decision-making, post-16 facilitators and barriers for PRU learners, and the educational experiences, opinions, and aspirations of a previously unheard group of care experienced young people in Wales - those who attend PRUs.