Taxal Centre is a Pupil Referral Unit for students with behavioural difficulties in mainstream school, which became operational at the start of the 1998/99 academic year. It is based on the site of Taxal Lodge Special School which closed in July 1998.

Taxal Centre aims to increase access to education, to enable and encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own actions and decisions, and to promote equality.

Our primary function is to understand and manage change which allows access to education. We aim to help our pupils to understand their difficulties and to identify ways of dealing with them. We aim to reverse the decline in educational success and replace it with achievable goals and a future within education. The essential role of the Centre is to maintain the pupil. in the mainstream school and to successfully reintegrate pupils back into home (for residential placements), school, college or preparation for work.

1. Devereux - above scale score of 14 on two settings,
2. Interpersonal problems,
3. Inappropriate behaviour and feelings,
4. EP involvement,
5. Unsuccessful intervention through an individual plan at school level. (It is expected that schools will be able to provide evidence in the form of an individual plan of intervention in accordance with their school behaviour policy).

• the potential to manage within mainstream;
• a potential to return to mainstream in years 7, 8, 9 and 10;
• a return to mainstream as feasible within one year;
• showing signs of disaffection;
• the likelihood to be involved with Social Services;
• aggressive;
• destructive;
• physically and verbally abusive, including little respect for others;
• inappropriately challenging authority;
• need for short term family work;
• attendance difficulties; In mainstream school and at a risk of exclusion for behavioural problems
  or
  educated otherwise than at school with the potential for reintegration.

• attendance difficulties;
• significant family problems - need respite/short break in response to short term needs following crisis or trauma.

• Contract meeting with pupil, parent, carer and school;
• Introductory visits between home and Taxal Centre;
• Key worker allocated;
• Admission meeting at Taxal Centre;
• Baseline Assessment and phased programme begins;
• Continual assessment against agreed standards;
• Staged return or transition to other provision.

The admission process from referral being accepted to the beginning of the phased programme should be completed within 2 weeks.

Taxal Centre is a 35 place facility committed to the development and delivery of a curriculum which enables pupils to develop a sense of self-worth, self-esteem through achievement and attainment in a variety of situations. A structured positive environment offers support, security and flexibility to enable pupils to access their place in education. We aim to promote cultural, social and emotional, moml and physical development within individual pupils and the community of the Centre.

A core curriculum, delivered mainly in the morning sessions, is provided to help maintain access to as much of the National Curriculum as possible.. Further individual needs are identified through a range of assessment processes and through historical evidence within the Special Needs Code of Practice and the staged procedures. The needs are met by:

• Individual Leaming Programmes;
• Individual Behaviour Plans;
• A Personal and Social Curriculum;
• Recording, Reporting and Assessment;
• Support to Schools;
• Residential provision where appropriate;
• Family support;
• Individual work, counselling techniques and support;
• Group work;
• Direct work, parenting skills and advocacy.

Taxal Centre has the following resources:

• 10 bed residential facility;
• Gymnasium, tennis courts, 18 acres of woodland and a range of other sports activity resources and equipment;
• A science lab;
• An English suite;
• A Technology workshop;
• Classrooms
• Information and Communication Technology resources.

Taxal Centre is led by a Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher, together with 4 fte teaching staff and a Care Services Manager with a staff team of 7 fte.

Reintegration activities form an integral part of the Taxal Centre progranune. Each pupil will have planned sessions back in school with arrangements supported by the Taxal Centre key staff.

Integration sessions will normally take place in the afternoon, starting gradually and building up to full time within 3 terms from admission to the Centre.

The reintegration curriculum includes:

• issue based group activities structured around PSE schemes of work and an EBD curriculum;
• 1:1 preparation work for reintegration;
• support to pupils in school for reintegration;
• preventative support to schools and pupils.