Devon County Council

devon.gov.uk

From David Hutchings, Exeter 382594, October 06, 2008

A PIONEERING DEVON centre which works with pupils at risk of exclusion from school allows youngsters to 'take off' with their learning and delivers outstanding results, according to education inspectors.

The Voyager Pupil Referral Unit or PRU is based at Windmill House in Totnes and has other centres at Seale Hayne in Newton Abbot and The Castle in Tiverton.

It caters for young people aged from 11 to 14 who are at risk of exclusion from their schools or who have already been excluded and are awaiting a place in a new school.

The inspectors from the school standards agency, Ofsted, say youngsters enter Voyager 'switched off from learning and feeling a deep sense of failure'.

But in a new report they conclude: "Creative leadership, an innovative curriculum and teaching geared to students' needs, successfully engage them with learning.

"Students who rarely attended their schools before, attend regularly because they enjoy learning for the first time. They soak up learning like a sponge through challenging and fun activities.

"As students begin to believe in themselves, they take off with their learning. They make rapid gains in reading, writing and maths. They seem to fly and make faster progress than their peers in mainstream schools."

Students spend between half a term and two terms at one of the Voyager units following a specially devised curriculum.

It includes academic work but also covers skills such as how students can improve their learning abilities and how to cope in a mainstream school as well as a variety of outdoor activities.

Two Ofsted inspectors, led by Jeff Plumb, spent a day at Voyager last month and their report has just been published.

It lists 27 separate areas of the PRU's work and judges 23 of them as outstanding.

"This is an outstanding centre," says Mr Plumb. "Achievement is outstanding. Teaching and learning are outstanding. The curriculum strikes an excellent balance between meeting students' emotional needs and raising their academic achievement.

"The care, guidance and support the centre provides are outstanding as is students' personal development.

"Parents and carers are delighted with what the centre achieves for their children. They are thrilled that their children's involvement in crime and substance misuse often ceases because the centre tackles their children's deep-rooted unhappiness."

Mr Plumb says a very high proportion of students return successfully to mainstream schools and succeed academically.

"The passion shown by all staff and the highly skilled management committee lie at the heart of this very successful centre," he says, "Leadership and management are outstanding."

Voyager was the first secondary school in the country to win a National Leading Aspect award for its pioneering work highlighting the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning.

The National Leading Aspect organisation recognises excellence in all areas of education following a rigorous assessment procedure.

Voyager Headteacher Bryce Wilby said: "We have found that adventurous outdoor education can give the pupil a real opportunity to succeed at something they do not normally associate with learning.

"It gives them the chance to build trusting, positive relationships with an adult, develop social skills with their peers, take risks in a safe and controlled environment and build up their own self-esteem.

"Our personalised learning programme for each pupil teaches them how to choose to behave in an appropriate manner and accept responsibility for their own actions.

"Voyager teaches pupils the value of mutual respect so they are more likely to succeed in a future suitable education setting.

"We cater for up to 45 pupils in the three units and virtually all of them go back to their school and remain there. That's one of the fundamental ways we judge our success."

"We have embraced the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning or SEAL programme because it tackles our pupils' main problem.

"They often have an inability to join in with life in their mainstream school in a social and emotional way. They don't know how to behave or they lack the normal social skills.

"They can't access learning until they get the social and emotional aspects right and our teachers are able to have a big influence on the pupils' social and emotional state."

Staff from Voyager also work directly in local schools with staff and pupils at risk of exclusion to try to ensure the students are able to remain in school without the need for a stay in the PRU.

The Ofsted report advises Voyager staff to ensure students review their own learning more regularly so they know what to do to improve and work with Devon County Council to improve the accommodation.

Money is available to develop a purpose-built new centre on one site but the best site has not yet been identified.

NOTE TO NEWS EDS: For more information, contact Bryce Wilby on 01803 865580.

ends

• Leader of the Council - Cllr Brian Greenslade
• Chief Executive -- Phil Norrey

• Budget £800 million
• Key investments include:
• Schools £349 million
• Adult and Community Services £164 million
• Environment, Economy and Culture £106 million
• Children and Young People £101 million

• Other important County Council support includes:
• Building programme: £185 million for new schools, roads, care services, libraries and recycling centres

• Political make-up:
• County Council seats: 62
• 33 Liberal Democrat
• 23 Conservative
• 4 Labour
• 2 Independent
• Next County Council elections: May 7, 2009

• Key stats:
• Population: 741,000
• Schools: 365
• Pupils: 96,200
• Children looked after: 584
• Adults helped to live at home: 17,622
• Residential and nursing care: 4,212 adults
• Libraries and Mobile Libraries: 61
• Roads: 12,831 kms (7,973 miles)
• Bridges: 3,500
• Public Rights of Way: 4,960 kms (3,200 miles)
• Streetlights: 71,000
• Illuminated road signs: 10,917
• Recycling Centres: 20
• Recycling rate: 49.21%

Figures may be subject to change

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