'Don't slam the door on our children' is the hard-hitting message behind new postcards produced by City of York Council.

The thought-provoking postcards are being sent to education managers across the country as part of the council's year-long Beacon Status programme designed to spread its success in raising standards and tackling underachievement in schools.

The council was one of only three in the country to be awarded Beacon Status in education in February with the Government acknowledging York's success in raising standards and tackling underachievement.

The council has organised a range of seminars and conferences designed to raise awareness of the work schools and local education authorities can do to raise achievements amongst groups of often socially-excluded or disadvantaged children.

Now, in their latest Beacon Status event, the council's educational services team is launching a series of seminars aimed at more effective use of school pupil referral units.

The full-colour postcards, which are being used to invite educationalists to the seminars, feature pictures of forbidding, closed doors with messages such as 'No Exit', 'Do Not Cross' and 'No Way Out'.

The cards carry a warning that getting children into PRUs is often much easier than getting them out again. Yet the council has had a 100 percent success rate in moving Year 11 students out of PRUs and into further education, jobs or training

Murray Rose, the council's acting assistant director of education, said, "It is often disadvantaged and socially excluded youngsters who have difficulty in making the most of their opportunities in the classroom and end up in PRUs.

"The thrust of our approach in York is that while PRUs have their place they should not be used as a solution in themselves but only as part of a wider strategy for raising standards and tackling underachievement.

"It is important that children and young people get clear exit strategies before going into PRUs. These children and young people can gain achievements if given the right encouragement and they need us to look at effective ways of opening doors to them - and far too often going into a PRU means the closing of doors."

Councillor Janet Looker, the council's executive member for education, said, "Education for all of us must be about opening doors - not shutting them.

"I am delighted York's Beacon team is continuing its work in support of all youngsters in difficulties by promoting this cause and I hope the next series of seminars will be as well attended and challenging as the first."

The seminars are being held in York this month (November), January and February with more information available from Beacon Coordinator Claire Tempest on 01904 554203.

All councils receiving the Beacon Status award in a particular service area are obliged to carry out a series of promotion, dissemination, marketing and consultancy activities to share its best practice. Councils get a grant from the Government to subsidise these activities.

END Notes for Editors:

Among the features in York's success in raising attainment in schools are: o 100 percent of year 11 leavers from the Pupil Referral Unit moving into education, jobs or training o Providing full time education for excluded pupils two years ahead of the Government's timetable o Bringing exclusions down rapidly already to a level well below the Government's year 2002 target figure o 67% cut in city centre crime committed by young people as a result of the success of the Truancy Watch scheme o Maintaining a high and improving level of attendance by Traveller children o Bringing an unprecedented number and range of partners together to develop a nationally applicable work related learning programme The Beacon Council scheme was established in 1999 by the Government to select a number of councils to act as pace setters and centres of excellence. Last year 33 beacon awards were given to 42 councils. This year 43 beacon awards have been given to 39 councils, from an original pool of 173 applications. The Government appointed an independent Advisory Panel to recommend the selection of beacon councils each year.