The Pupil’s Referral Unit (PRU) is an educational facility located in The Quarter, upstairs of the building which houses the AUF Headquarters. This facility caters for the education of children who may exhibit behavioral issues in the mainstream high school, the ALHCS. These children are from Form 1 to Form 3 age ranges, and the PRU gives them a second opportunity for progressing in their educational development.
On Thursday, May 10th, the PRU hosted its Open Day to exhibit much of the work that the students had been doing over the past seven months. The exhibition showcased attractive works of art which included projects in Science, Woodwork, Design & Technology, Visual Arts, String Art, Bead Art and a Music Video as an IT project. A lush array of plants was also on display, and these, along with many of the exhibited items, were on sale to raise funds towards school projects.
According to the Institute’s Coordinator, Ms. Marcia Hodge, “There was also an academic display which featured the students’ portfolios, their reading logs and black history research findings. In addition, a running slide-show depicted activities over the past school year, and select students demonstrated their musical skills on the keyboard. The creation of a custom-made PRU T-shirt also came to being through a special PRU students’ project.”
The Anguillian visited the Open Day exhibits and was delighted to view the magnificent pieces on display. Our “tour guide” was a young and promising PRU student, Mr. Jaylano Shillingford. He is himself a great specimen of what the work of PRU instructors entails. His courtesy, hospitality and warm charm were reflective of the remedial training that these students are subjected to. It was evident, by the way Jaylano so eloquently expressed the background behind every piece of work, that such remedial training has had a magnificent effect on his young, developing mind.
Tr. Henderson Burges instructed the students in the woodwork projects. While speaking with him, he mentioned: “I am very proud of what the students did. They looked at the progression of the projects on paper, and they visualized the finished product with an eagerness to complete the several pieces of work. As they saw the work progressing, many of the students were encouraged to bring in a ‘lil three or four dollars to help buy stuff like wood-fill, dowel sticks screws, etc.”
Likewise, Tr. Akio Lloyd, the IT Instructor, echoed the same sentiments with these remarks: “I am very proud of my students this year. We completed a video this year, which is a major step up from last year. The students’ understanding and their taking on of the various concepts in the coursework are encouraging to me. I am a participation teacher and I like it when the students participate. I was pleased to see a lot of participation this year. Whatever they do, they do it to the best of their abilities, and they always try to learn something new every day.”
The PRU program currently engages a staff of 3 teachers and a security guard who is also a PE Instructor. There is also a councilor, a drama and book-club volunteer, as well as four other itinerant teachers who are attached to other campuses. This faculty attends to the special education needs of eight students. One of the students has been reinstated back into the mainstream school system at ALHCS. This is the PRU instructors’ goal for each student there.
