London VRU forms partnership to tackle school exclusions
Fiona Simpson
Friday, December 2, 2022
London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has revealed plans to to work with schools, pupil referral units (PRU) and local authority safeguarding teams to reduce the number of children excluded from school in a bid to protect them from involvement in violent crime.
The VRU will work in partnership with schools, PRUs and local authority safeguarding leads to co-create an “inclusion checklist” laying out plans to support teachers working with pupils at risk of exclusion.
The charter is expected to include measures for teachers such as setting up meetings with parents and carers of children at risk of exclusion; expanding their knowledge of a child's triggers which may lead to behavioural issues and advice around activities to improve behaviour.
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As part of the plans, the VRU also held its first London Education Summit on November 30, which brought together young people, professionals working with children, parents and carers to develop an agreement for a London partnership “that works towards ensuring education provision is available for a wide range of complex needs” in a bid to reduce exclusions.
At the summit, the VRU cited evidence from HMI Prisons and Ofsted that shows almost 90 per cent of young people in detention had been excluded from mainstream education and that children excluded from school were twice as likely to carry a knife.
Lib Peck, director of London VRU, said: “London’s VRU is determined to work with partners across the capital to lead a broad coalition of support to ensure our schools and teachers are fully supported to do what they are best at – delivering fantastic education for all children and young people.
“That responsibility cannot and should not sit with hardworking teachers alone, and that’s why we’ve brought together young people, parents and carers, teachers, local authorities and education specialists from across London because there is a role for everyone in ensuring education is inclusive for all.
“The VRU is determined to work with others towards an agreement for a London inclusion charter that is owned by schools and local authorities. The summit is the beginning of those discussions, but is a commitment to do everything we can to give children and young people the opportunities that we know education can provide.”
The summit was held just days before two teenage boys, aged 15 and 16, were charged with the murders of two 16-year-olds, just a mile a part in south-east London.
