“Doing school differently": An exploration of young women's reflections on their attendance at a Pupil Referral Unit and the views of staff supporting them

Abstract

Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) are the most common form of alternative provision in England and aim to provide meaningful education to those who are disengaged from and struggling in mainstream. PRUs are predominately populated by male pupils although there is an increasing female pupil population (DfE, 2021).

The current research sought to explore the reflections of young women who have previously attended PRUs and gather the views of PRU staff supporting such pupils. The aim of this was to increase knowledge, awareness and understanding surrounding their unique perspectives in order to gain an insight into how PRUs can be supported and strengthened to improve positive outcomes for female pupils.

In Phase 1, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with three female former PRU pupils. Interviews were analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis due to the emphasis on reporting and valuing their lived experiences. Five superordinate themes were generated from the interpretative analysis including: “lack of belonging”, “influence of peers”, “feeling safe”, “support from staff”, and “general perception”.

In Phase 2, four focus groups were conducted with members of staff from Pupil Referral Units in the South West of England. Interviews were analysed through thematic analysis. Five main themes captured their experiences of supporting female pupils including: “ways of working”, “relationships”, “responding to changing cohorts”, “falling short” and “influence of wider systems”.

The main conclusions of this research were that relationships are key to supporting disengaged female pupils and ensuring they feel safe and valued; ensuring that child voice is at the centre of decision making is crucial for pupil engagement; and wider systems such as peers, family and community can all have significant impact on pupil behaviour, motivation and identity. My findings lead to several implications for future research as well educational psychology practice including the need to provide training to school staff on understanding the different presentation of girls with needs; providing appropriate supervision and support to PRU staff considering how challenging their work is; and supporting the development of positive, trusting relationships between PRU staff and pupils. Underpinning all recommendations is an emphasis on the importance of listening to the views of female PRU pupils and the staff supporting them.