Excluded Students and the E Bacc.

Debbie's picture
by Debbie
 3
Hi
I work with students in KS4, who either face or have been excluded from school. At present my aim is to get these students as many GCSEs as possible by way of BTECs. We use the BTEC route because the students I work with find core subjects and classroom learning a no-go area of study. However, what concerns me now is the new EBacc way of gaining GCSEs, what government policies are expecting schools to do with the students who no longer attend mainstream education and find classroom learning difficult in these EBacc areas.
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Comments

Janet Downs's picture
Mon, 11/04/2011 - 15:04

Mr Gove's response is to let other organisations take over Pupil Referral Units http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6062343. The National Children's Bureau praised PRU teachers in a report published last year for the "imaginative" ways in which they are trying to help pupils, but warned that the children's prospects are 'likely to be extremely poor' if doctors, counsellors and social workers do not do more."

"Given the seriousness of children's needs, and the gravity of children's stories, it was remarkable that the researchers found all six PRUs to be calm, industrious places where children were respected and their achievements celebrated."

And Mr Gove's response? Will he put in place the multi-agency support that these children need? No, he wants voluntary groups and academy sponsors to take over pupil referral units. He described PRUs as "the weak link in the chain, without an accountable person responsible for making sure these children progress."

The recent OECD report has considerable concerns about testing. It says, "the grading of cognitive skills could actually 'crowd out' non-cognitive skill accumulation in classrooms. This deficit may affect disadvantaged students disproportionately as their social networks may be less able to compensate this lack of support in the school environment" (page 101).

Despite the pupil premium, I think disadvantaged pupils such as Debbie teaches will receive a raw deal out of Gove's reforms.

Debbie's picture
Tue, 12/04/2011 - 18:36

Thank you Janet for your feedback, I found this very useful not only to the students I teach but also for the degree I am studying on school exclusions. I would you very grateful if you or anyone else could point me in the right direction of which government policy and books there are on school exclusion and also the ebacc way of gain qualifications. once again thanks, Janet


Janet Downs's picture
Wed, 13/04/2011 - 07:05

Exclusions stats:

http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000942/index.shtml

Latest guidelines for behaviour (up for consultation)

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/behaviourpoli...

DfE guidance re exclusions

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/exclusion

Also try the Times Educational Supplement website and search for exclusions and EBacc.

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