THIS week’s In the Classroom feature focuses on a pupil referral unit in Worcester which prepares pupils for a successful return to their mainstream settings. I was welcomed by the head teacher, Pete Hines from Perryfields Primary PRU in Glebe Close.

THE school has been recognised for its work in spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

The school received Gold for the National SMSC Quality Mark, which aims to help schools recognise and review their development in these areas.

The report said: “Perryfields is an exciting and vibrant space where students are able to learn and grow in a safe place, secure and nurturing environment.

“The Outreach Team at Perryfields also provide outstanding support to local authority schools and this enables them to deliver quality, timely, nurturing and developmental support for an increased number of students residing at other schools within Worcester.”

READ MORE:

Parents upset after Worcester nursery's immediate closure

'Help protect us’ - say residents after Storm Dennis wrecks homes

Rob Harrison, the school's deputy head, said: “The award recognises all the work we do inside and outside the classroom. It shows and acknowledge all the trips we do which makes the child a whole person.

“I was really pleased. Not many skills go straight to gold status.”

Mr Hines said: “Perryfields is really proud of the difference that it makes to the lives of the young children who come in. We focus on quality-first teaching, so exciting and engaging lessons delivered in a really nurturing and stimulating environment. We are proud of the curriculum enrichment that we do.”

Mr Hines added: “Perryfields supports all of the 113 primary, first and middle schools in South Worcestershire all the way from working with individual children who present with challenging behaviour to delivering whole school training to staff on how to build positive relationships with pupils and promote positive behaviour management. I am very lucky to have such a supported and dedicated team of staff at Perryfields who really believe that we can make a difference to turn around the lives of vulnerable children.”

Learning powers have been introduced at the school which teaches the children resilience, independence, reflective, curiosity and collaborative. There are five different characters which represent a skill and they were designed by the students and stakeholders at the school.

Class teacher Sarah Vaughan said: “We introduced the learning powers to support the skills involved in learning. All these underlining learning skills is something the children struggle with on entry. It’s about the skill set that the children need to be able to learn to help them with lifelong learning.”