Education for excluded pupils could be boosted

Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve plans to improve the quality of education and the curriculum opportunities available to excluded pupils.

The proposal would see the provision for primary aged children in Leicestershire merged with that for 11-14 year olds.
The provision at Moel Llys Short Stay School in Kirby Muxloe would be amalgamated with the Blaby Centre to create a short stay school for 60 5-14 year olds on the Blaby site.

This would significantly improve the services for pupils, is in line with national policy and has been endorsed by Ofsted.

The move would give the short stay school a more robust leadership and management structure.

There would be more teaching staff on the single site which would enable the school to offer more curriculum opportunities, taking advantage of a wider base of staff skills.

This is in turn would help to engage pupils and boost standards of achievement.

The school would meet pupils’ individual needs. It would aim to see pupils returning to mainstream school or other specialist provision within two terms.

The site would see buildings allocated for younger children so that they are taught separately from the older pupils, as is the case in any school.

Some renovation work would be needed to provide the accommodation suitable for younger children.

Ivan Ould, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for the Children and Young People’s Service, said: “If this proposal is given the go-ahead it would boost the standard of education and the curriculum opportunities available to excluded pupils.

“This would help to revitalise their interest in learning and see pupils returning to mainstream schools in a shorter space of time.”

If Cabinet gives the go-ahead, work towards the merger would start immediately and it is envisaged that the amalgamation would take place around spring/summer, 2011.

Cabinet meets on Tuesday, July 27th.