Cov pupil referral unit will become academy run by trust outside city
A COVENTRY pupil referral unit will become an academy run by a trust outside the city this September.
The move for the Coventry Extended Learning Centre (ELC) was confirmed on Tuesday, April 16.
It means the school will join a Solihull-based trust.
The so-called pupil referral unit, with sites in the north-east of the city centre, will change its name to the “Coventry Alternative Provision Academy.”
The academy conversion was ordered by the government in 2023 after the school was told to improve by Ofsted twice in a row, in 2018 and 2022. But a council officer insisted at a meeting that the unit which helps children go back to mainstream schools is “in a significantly better place.”
The change is “going to be a positive move forward for them as [it] will be working with a specialised provider,” claimed head of education improvement and standards, Rachael Sugars. The unit, which currently has 120 pupils who are permanently excluded from schools in the city, will still take on children from Coventry who need the support, she confirmed.
She made the comments at a meeting of council cabinet members to approve the conversion, which includes granting 125-year “peppercorn” leases of the school’s buildings to the trust. Asked about the land and property involved, Ms Sugars confirmed it includes ‘The Herald,’ a site at Potter’s Green, and the council has “invested into that provision.”
The refurbishment of the building, including a new extension, gym, recording studio and kitchen, was completed less than two years ago, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported at the time. The overall project cost £4 million and was funded by the council’s education capital budget and potentially Section 106 money, although it is not clear if any was used.
Councillors asked for the value of the assets and the investment the council put in to the school. But others said the council does not have a lot of choice and has to give up the land, with a long-leasehold the best option as it means the site could potentially come back to the council in future.
A news release after the meeting said the school will continue to be an “integral” part of a partnership of schools in the city. Headteacher at the CELC Glenn Mellor said: “The team at the CELC have worked tirelessly to improve the outcomes for the young people that we serve.
“We have been ably supported by our partners across the city and our move to join the SAPMAT will allow our dedicated team and pupils to achieve even more.”
Solihull Alternative Provision Multi Academy Trust CEO, Stephen Steinhaus said: “SAPMAT are so excited to have the CELC joining us from September. We have the potential to significantly change the perception of what alternative provision looks like in Coventry and Solihull.
“This is a result of our common goals, shared vision and ethos, and our joint commitment to curriculum intervention, along with our positive outcomes for our students.”