Most of the children held in a Dundee secure unit have been able to return to some form of education, a new report shows.
The Elms in Lochee houses up to four young people at a time, with a maximum stay of three months. They are sent there because it is felt they would be a risk to themselves or others if they were not held.
In August, city councillors heard that schools’ inspectors were broadly satisfied with the state of the educational provision for children at the unit, although they wanted more work to broaden the curriculum.
The inspectors gave ‘good’ ratings for learners’ experiences and meeting learning needs, and praised the strong drive to raise the young people’s aspirations.
At the time, councillors ordered officials to look into what had happened to all the children who had passed through The Elms during the previous three years so they could gauge what impact it was having on their education.
A report to be presented to the education committee tonight paints a largely positive picture of their immediate destinations after release.
The figures show that more than half the children held between 2007/08 and 2009/10 had been able to return to city council educational provision.
Out of 40 young people held at the unit, five had been able to return to mainstream schooling within Dundee and three were at schools outside the city.
Another 18 were also back in class, but at one of the city’s offsite education units which look after disruptive and troubled pupils, providing them with a level of supervision and support they cannot get in school.
Three of those held at The Elms went on to college and another one was known to have found a job. Of the remaining 10 children, eight ended up in a residential school, one was in secure accommodation and the fate of one was unknown.
The report from education director Jim Collins adds, “The trend shows that it is increasingly likely that a young person will leave The Elms to benefit from the ongoing support available within our offsite education service.
“Some 26.7% did so in 2007/08, rising to 72.7% in session 2009/10.”