THE QUALITY of teaching and learning at a council’s unit for children unable to attend mainstream schools is “too variable” according to inspectors.
Attendance and behaviour at the pupil referral unit was also flagged as a concern by Estyn which said Torfaen Borough Council’s Ty Glyn unit requires significant improvement.
The unit operates across three sites in Pontypool, New Inn and Abersychan and teaches 58 secondary school age children from across Torfaen who have either been excluded from school, or at risk of permanent exclusion, or have significant emotional difficulties that prevent them attending school.
Numbers in the unit have more than doubled since the last inspection in 2016.
Councillors were informed the Ty Glyn unit has been placed in the category requiring significant improvement, following an inspection in December, at their April meeting.
Strategic director Jason O’Brien said councillors would note it had been placed in the category and he said there is new leadership in place.
Estyn’s report praises headteacher Sarah Pugh, who took over in January 2024, for “calm, measured and purposeful leadership”.
It also said the unit provides a nurturing learning environment with strong working relationships between staff and pupils and “nearly all pupils respond positively to the care shown by staff”.
But it found “overall, the quality of teaching and learning is too variable” and as a result, “pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable”.
Improving attendance has been recognised as a “clear priority” but is currently “too low” at just 49 per cent while inconsistencies in how the behaviour policy is applied was also noted including that staff sometimes fail to challenge pupils who use “inappropriate language”.
Incidents of physical aggression against staff and peers have declined while there has been a significant decrease in the number of fixed term exclusions issued to pupils across the unit.
Estyn has made four recommendation which are improving attendance; strengthen the quality and consistency of teaching and learning; to work with the council and unit management committee to strengthen accountability of leaders as well as developing opportunities for pupil leadership as the unit doesn’t have its own school council.
Ty Glyn has to draw up an action plan to address the recommendations and Estyn will monitor progress in around 12 months.
