What is a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU)?

A Pupil Referral Unit, usually called a PRU, is a setting that provides education for children who cannot attend a mainstream school. The Department for Education's alternative provision guidance lists PRUs among the settings that deliver alternative provision, alongside maintained schools, academies, free schools, further education colleges and independent providers. The statutory exclusions guidance applies to PRUs as well as to maintained schools and academies.

A PRU is not the same thing as alternative provision as a whole. It is one kind of setting.

CAN I SIMPLY BOOK A PLACE?

Usually not. Places at PRUs are generally arranged by a school or a local authority, for example when a pupil has been excluded or needs a different setting. Some units may take contact from families; rules differ by area and by unit. That is why a PRU's page on AP Directory only shows how places are arranged where we have evidence, and otherwise says "Not yet confirmed".

If you think a PRU might be right for your child, talk first to the school or your local authority's inclusion team, and ask the unit directly what its referral route is.

Questions to ask

• Who can refer a child to you, and what is the process?
• How long are placements, and is the aim to return to a mainstream school?
• What qualifications can pupils work towards, and who enters them?
• How do you work with the child's school and with the family?
• Can we visit before a decision is made?

Our checklist of questions for any alternative provision provider has more.

This guide is general information, not advice about an individual child. Your local authority and your local SENDIASS service can explain how things work in your area.