Tes profiles Dave Whitaker who loves teaching 'challenging kids' and believes alternative provision can help mainstream schools manage behaviour
Why I turned my back on a headship to work in a PRU
‘My dad died when I was 11. I was very close to my mum and still am but I appreciated going to an all through school where I had consistency.
I remember once, we were in woodwork, I just couldn’t get something right. I got so upset about it, I could tell at some point the teacher was getting irritated that I wasn’t able to get this simple thing. Then she noticed that I was really upset, she must have known about my dad, she picked me up and sat me on her lap. She gave me the biggest, longest hug and just let me cry. I was in Year 6.’
Unruly children are simply being written off
Rachel Sylvester from The Times discussing the importance of strong regulation, fuller timetables and quality teaching at APs. Rachel also gives a mention to the Difference leaders programme, recognising the important work some of our Leaders from our pioneering cohort will be doing in AP’s this year.
Ending Exclusion: specialist teachers trained to support the most vulnerable
Investigation: Number of pupils in private alternative provision soars
Three ways to help students at risk of knife crime
Excluded children can still have hope: here’s the proof
The knife-crime epidemic demands a complete rethink of safeguarding
Whose responsibility is it to tackle youth knife crime?
‘At Redthread, we see youth violence as a health issue which, therefore, should be treated in the same way as a disease. This must start with an analysis of the causes, before going on to diagnose the problem, look at what works to treat the symptoms and develop solutions. Permanently excluding young people from school is not the root cause of why some become involved in violence, however their behaviour in school should be viewed as a symptom of the challenges they face and the vulnerabilities they experience. ‘
The school that embeds inclusion
Dithering ministers must tackle knife crime
'Working in a pupil-referral unit changed my career'
The challenges of working in a pupil-referral unit show us how to support pupils in mainstream schools, says Shaun Brown.
Stepping into the last-chance saloon
‘Students in pupil-referral units are more than twice as likely to be taught by an unqualified teacher. Yet, as Will Moss has found, moving from a mainstream setting to play a part in reviving the lives of excluded children can be a deeply rewarding – and professionally creative – challenge ‘
