Rory Miles was excluded from school in December 2009 for constantly abusing his teachers. A few months later, he threw a television down the stairs at his pupil referral unit (PRU) and again was moved on.
There didn't seem much the authorities could do until he was referred to the Youth Achievement Foundation in Gloucester. Today, Rory, 15, could not be happier. "They 'get' me completely here. The teachers never treated me with respect at school. And then I got thrown out of the PRU. But here, they get everything right."
How to work with young people such as Rory has proved a headache for government in recent years. Traditionally, students exhibiting emotional and behavioural difficulties or other problems that mean they cannot be taught in mainstream school have been placed in PRUs run directly by local authorities. But their track record has been decidedly mixed.
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