Learning Support UK – PULSE

We believe that attending mainstream education should be the expectation for the majority of young people living in our supported accommodation. We do however recognise that some young people entering the service will not be attending school regularly and may have been out of school for some time. We will provide a full and purposeful day for each young person which will include educational input at an appropriate and sustainable level. This work may be delivered by sessional tutors supported by residential staff, or at specialist educational resources. The homes will not be registered schools, and as such the young people will need to be enrolled elsewhere.

We will work with each young person and their school/college to facilitate a return to an external school environment where possible. This may involve taking the young person to school or college, or facilitating them engaging at a PRU. Where a full educational timetable is not appropriate, we will ensure that the remainder of the time is spent purposefully, either inside the home or participating in activities elsewhere.

We will robustly advocate for the right to formal education for our young people, escalating concerns as required in a robust and timely way, with reference to their right to a minimum of 25 hours formal education.

Whole home approach to education:

• We celebrate the achievements of young people.
• Our staff have high expectations for young people, encouraging achievement and ambition.
• Training is provided by our Learning Support Team so that all our staff understand the needs of young people in order that they actively promote their best interests.
• That they are aware of a variety of issues that may undermine the child’s ability to engage in the learning process.
• We actively support and encourage the engagement of young people in out of school hours learning.
• Our staff will work in partnership with carers, agencies and parents (where appropriate).

Special Educational Needs (SEN):

• Any special educational needs will be quickly identified through the statement of need and appropriate provision will be advocated for the young person through the placing authority and the host local authority.
• We have systems in place so that we can identify and prioritise when young people are underachieving and have early interventions to improve this.
• Where a child has a statement of special educational need, we will ensure the annual review coincides with one of the six monthly child looked after reviews to as much as possible ensure collaborative planning.