Written question WQ97357
- Asked by
- Darren MillarConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Education
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 7 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm how many pupils have been on waiting lists for pupil referral units since 2014, broken down by year and local authority area?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Education
Duties are placed on local authorities in Wales to provide education for children who, for whatever reason, are not able to attend school. Where a place is not available at a pupil referral unit (PRU), local authorities must arrange alternative education other than at school (EOTAS) provision. This could include, for example, home tuition.
The Welsh Government does not collect data on the number of children awaiting a placement at a PRU, as this information is held by individual local authorities. However, we do collect data on the number of children awaiting EOTAS provision or who are not currently in an EOTAS provision.
The most recent data comes from the EOTAS Census Week, which took place from 20 to 24 January 2025. During this period, there were 142 pupils recorded as awaiting provision or not currently in provision across Wales.