A LIVERPOOL school for excluded pupils will be closed and re-launched, after it was labelled “inadequate” by Ofsted inspectors.

The city’s Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) which takes around 200 pupils each year has been placed in special measures since April.

It is currently run over three sites, but the two most heavily criti-cised school bases in Toxteth and Old Swan are to be amalgamated.

Inspectors criticised the leadership and management of the unit and the poor levels of attendance with some pupils only attending up to 60% of the time.

Despite evidence of caring staff and a posi-tive ethos in the school, inspectors said “learn-ing received scant atten-tion” and the school lacked academic targets.

They also criticised the standard of accom-modation with the unit currently split between three sites and the lack of provision for hot food. Key Stage 2 pupils aged between 7-11 are taught at Mill Road in Everton, and this site received praise for good practice.

While Key Stage 3 (aged 11-14) are housed in a former school in Montague Road in Old Swan and Key Stage 4 (aged 15-16) at Princes Road in Toxteth.

In response to Ofsted’s report in April the city council has also appoint-ed a new boss of the PRU and provided hot food.

Proposals which will go before the council’s executive tomorrow, in-clude moving out of the four-storey period house in Toxteth into the better equipped Old Swan site.

The Toxteth site will close on August 1 and on September 1 the Old Swan site will open with brand new facilities.

Subject to a feasibility study, the council hopes to use the PRU’s £240,000 capital allocation to re-furbish and extend the Old Swan site.

Young people are to be consulted on the new facilities which could include a student union style PRU with flat- screen televisions and cafe bar. Outdoor facili-ties, including a multi-use games pitch, might also be built.

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