Coventry Telegraph

Cov pupil referral unit will become academy run by trust outside city

- By ELLIE BROWN News Reporter

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.”

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom