Cov school for troubled teenagers gets £4m upgrade
FANTASTIC NEW EXTENSION UNVEILED
A SCHOOL for troubled teenagers in Coventry has had a £4million upgrade. Herald Extended Learning Centre (ELC), where 14 to 16-year-olds who struggle at mainstream schools have another chance at education, unveiled a brand-new extension last month.
The pupil referral unit in Potter’s Green, once known as the Link, has gained new classrooms, science labs and vocational workshops for plumbing, construction and hair and beauty lessons. Its main 1950s building was also refurbished and has a new recording studio.
The school is for teens “who are experiencing behaviour difficulties within a mainstream school setting,” the council says. A “significant number” of pupils who go there have been permanently excluded from other schools, according to Ofsted. Some only join for four weeks, while others stay to get qualifications.
The multi-million pound project began so that two pupil referral units in the city - the Link and Swanswell, in Hillfields - could be combined as one. This was to improve efficiency and the curriculum offered, and so Sidney Stringer School could expand into the old Swanswell building.
Funding for the project came from Coventry City Council’s education capital budget as part of its investment programme. Planning permission was granted last year, though “very special circumstances” had to be shown as the extension went on a Local Green Space.
A total of 65 pupils are now enrolled and class sizes are limited to 10 pupils or fewer, with the aim to help pupils return to mainstream education if possible. The facility is part of the wider Coventry ELC which was rated ‘Requires Improvement’ by Ofsted in both 2018 and 2022.
Inspectors noted that the centre, which has a site in Wyken for Key Stage 3 pupils, had undergone a period of “significant change” in the last few years with an interim headteacher and new Key Stage 4 provision. The latest report in June praised the ELC’S “empathetic” leadership team and teachers that work “patiently” with students, many of whom improve their behaviour and go back to mainstream schools.
But the quality of education was criticised and the report authors called on leaders to follow through with their ambitious plans for the unit. “There is still much more to do to improve pupils’ academic achievement and broader social, moral and cultural development,” they wrote.
A Coventry City Council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Whilst we are, as a team, disappointed that the CELC is not yet graded ‘Good’ it is clear that the inspection team felt that the CELC management committee and senior leadership have the correct approach and necessary strategic planning in place, to ensure that the Coventry Extended Learning Centre provides a high quality education and intervention for the young people that it serves, going forwards.”
The new centre was officially opened on September 7 by Coventry City Council’s Lord Mayor Kevin Maton. Cllr Dr Kindy Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “I am delighted to see the hard work that has gone into making this project very successful and I am sure both staff and students at The Herald are very excited to enjoy the new facilities on offer.
“This new central hub will no doubt create a much-improved environment to learn in and help pupils to develop. I want to thank all of those involved who have worked so well together to fulfil this important new development in creating a wonderful new facility for the Key Stage 4 students who will be the beneficiaries.”