Warwickshire County Council defends move to close pupil unit

PROPOSALS to close Warwickshire’s only pupil referral unit are not part of a cost-cutting exercise, the county council has said.

At a recent meeting held at the unit in Pound Lane, Lillington, to where excluded pupils are currently referred, fears were voiced about what effects the closure would have on young people and teaching in the area.

Andy Summers, president of the Warwickshire branch of the National Union of Teachers, said: “The NUT remains alarmed that such a fundamental part of educational support in the county might be closed without a firm body of evidence to reassure headteachers, staff in mainstream and special schools, parents, young people, support services and the Warwickshire public that the suggested new strategy is fit for the purpose.”

But a spokeswoman for the council, which runs the centre, said it had received support from headteachers regarding the proposal, which was put forward following concerns raised by Ofsted about the quality of education offered at the unit.