The two PRUs - in London and North Yorkshire - house children who have been excluded for a range of issues including drug dealing, carrying knives and beating up teachers.
Higher numbers of children are also using newer synthetic drugs, with potentially fatal consequences. Sky News spoke to a number of pupils at the PRUs, including Amy Collins, 17, an ex-pupil at Grove Academy in Harrogate.She said:"I was taking weed, cocaine, all the recreational drugs really. The school didn't really deal with it. They more or less just chuck you out straight away as soon as they find out that you're taking drugs and there's not really much support there in the mainstream schools.
Many of the children Sky News spoke to said mainstream school were yet to recognise the scale of the problem. He said:"Blaming PRUs for grooming children into gangs is the same as blaming hospitals for having too many sick people.
there is no answer anf it will only get worse, why would anyone want to teach , parents are useless these days and then blame someone else. discipline needs to come back. respect and behavour should be tought in schools rsther than some pointless lesson
No punishment equals severe lack discipline. Schools are fucked
Zoo I used to teach... No chance. They like animals. No parents, no respect... Just like animals. Its a joke. Thats why more and more colleague s leaving. Good for them. 1 day l woke up and never go and look back.... Ever.
Schools shouldn’t have to deal with crap parenting
Is it any wonder? They're being told the world's going to end in 12 years