Pembrokeshire Pupil Referral Service, Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire Pupil Referral Service is a school in Wales. Welsh schools are inspected by Estyn rather than Ofsted, and its latest report is published on Estyn's website.

Estyn's report on its November 2025 inspection summarises Pembrokeshire Pupil Referral Service like this:

"Leaders at Pembrokeshire Learning Centre articulate a clear vision prioritising pupils’ well- being, underpinned by a trauma-informed approach. The vision is shared suitably with staff, pupils, and parents. However, leadership oversight across all sites is inconsistent, and a few staff remain hesitant to adopt new processes. Further, in a few cases there are fractured relationships amongst staff, which negatively impacts on the well-being of staff and leaders. Many of the pupils who attend regularly report feeling safe due to strong staff- pupil relationships. The quality of teaching and learning is variable. In most lessons, expectations are too low, planning is inconsistent, and pupils are insufficiently challenged, limiting their progress. In a minority of lessons, teaching is effective, well-planned, and engaging, leading to strong progress in learning and well-being. Generally, support staff contribute positively to learning, but their effectiveness varies in supporting teaching and learning."

"Pupils make strong progress where teaching is effective, but overall planning does not ensure sustained skill development across the curriculum. Overall curriculum planning and delivery are underdeveloped, with no overarching schemes of work and inconsistent planning across subjects and areas of learning experience. Assessment processes are at an early stage of development, and feedback and marking are inconsistent, restricting pupils’ understanding of their progress. Provision for literacy and numeracy is improving but remains variable. As a result, the progress that pupils make is inconsistent. Opportunities for pupils to develop social, independent, and physical skills are limited. Behaviour management is inconsistent, fixed-term exclusions are high and learning environments are sometimes unsafe. Attendance remains low, and Pastoral Support Plans for pupils on reduced timetables are not consistently applied. Safeguarding systems are generally robust, and staff understand their responsibilities."

"Provision for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) is variable. Individual Development Plans are not always implemented effectively, limiting support for individual needs. Recent leadership changes and targeted interventions, particularly in literacy, are beginning to improve support. Opportunities for pupils to influence the life of the PRU are developing, such as through the Pupil Parliament, but this is at an early stage. Monitoring and evaluation systems are developing but are inconsistently applied, and over time leaders have not made sufficient progress in addressing the recommendations from the previous inspection. Leadership capacity has been strengthened, with clear roles and professional development opportunities. Financial management is appropriate, but the impact of funding on pupil outcomes is not robustly evaluated."

Estyn made 6 recommendations: (1) Address the safeguarding concerns identified during the inspection; (2) Strengthen leadership and governance arrangements; (3) Improve the rigour and effectiveness of self-evaluation and improvement planning; (4) Strengthen strategic leadership and provision for pupils with ALN; (5) Improve pupil attendance including reducing the number of authorised absences; (6) Strengthen the quality and consistency of teaching, learning and assessment, ensuring a clear focus on pupils’ progress and outcomes.

Estyn follow-up status: Special Measures.

The nearest railway station is Pembroke Dock Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High Street (opp chapel), 20 metres away.