THE WAY attendance for pupils at a referral unit for youngsters unable to go to mainstream schools full time is recorded will change from September.
Torfaen Borough Council has been recording the pupils as still registered for attendance at their mainstream school which it said has put it at odds with Welsh Government legislation that any child spending more than 50 per cent of their time at a pupil referral unit should be “main registered” there.
A report by Andy Rothwell, the council’s head of learning, has said from September 1 this year any child entering the unit will registered there under code ‘M’ for main and ‘S’ for subsidiary for the school they came from if their placement is for 2.5 or more days a week and it is anticipated to be a longer-term placement.
The only exception will be for pupils offered a place in the “turn around group” who will be coded ‘S’ for the referral unit.
All children who were in the unit in the previous year will be re-coded in line with new procedure with the same exception for the “turn around group”.
All pupils who are offered a placement via the additional learning needs panel will have their registration status recorded formally on the panel report paperwork.
The council has said there will be a “small impact” on school budgets as they will no longer receive funding for pupils who are main registered to the unit which was responsible for 58 pupils at the beginning of this year when inspectors Estyn identified failings in teaching and learning at the unit that has sites in Pontypool, New Inn and Abersychan.
Councillor Richard Clark, Torfaen’s cabinet member for education, is due to approve the change.
