Youngsters who are unable to cope with mainstream school, or have been expelled for bad behaviour, are sent to Calderdale's Pupil Referral Unit.

The centre was established in 2002 and after extensive refurbishment over the last year, is now based on three sites for different age groups – Whitehill School centre, which caters for children aged seven to 11, St Clare's at Wellesley Park, for ages 11 to 14, and the Whitley Phoenix Centre, for 14 to 16-year-olds.

Up to 72 children can be taught across the sites, although only around 56 were on roll at the start of this term.

All three sites have been remodelled in the last 12 months, after years of planning and funding applications.

Inside the Whitley Phoenix Centre are purpose built classrooms, IT suites and time out rooms, where pupils can go and work alone if they need time to cool off.

Each classroom has about six desks and chairs. Across the corridor are removal rooms – small booths containing just a bench and a chair, where pupils are sent if they are out of control.

A lunch-time social area is equipped with table football, table tennis and pool tables, which are also used by the community as part of the youth centre.

A construction workshop, hair and beauty area and food technology room means that pupils can be offered vocational courses with tutors from Calderdale College.

Although the unit follows 70 per cent of the national curriculum, teaching English, maths, science and IT, the focus is on emotional, social and behavioural education.

Head teacher Simon Lee said: "We are raising the expectations of these young people and giving them the opportunities they have missed, because of the system of education they were in and its ability to meet their needs.

"A lot of them have very low self-worth because of the knocks they have had in life. They have been told they will amount to nothing and they believe it."

By giving the children strategies to deal with difficult situations, eventually they can move back into mainstream schools.

"Children can be labelled as bad but I have never come across an inherently bad child," said Mr Lee.

"They are not born that way. They act up because they can't cope with the situation they are in."

Pupils end up in the unit for various reasons – no two situations are the same.

Some have undiagnosed conditions such as dyslexia, or special educational needs that mean they can't cope at school.

Some may have been through bereavement or family problems, while others have retaliated after being bullied.

Support workers monitor behaviour and have weekly meetings with pupils to see how they are doing against their targets.

But academic education is still important.

Last year's 16-year-olds left with an average of three GCSEs – which Mr Lee believes is far more than they could have achieved at a normal school.

"Had the majority remained in mainstream provision they would have walked away with nothing," he said.

"We are challenging and engaging them in a framework that best meets their needs. It is not an easy pathway for these children. They are exposed to greater challenge here. With smaller class sizes they can't become that invisible child."

All 20 have now gone on to further education or found a job.

A November 2007 Ofsted inspection labelled the unit "good", even though it took place in temporary accommodation before the move to the remodelled buildings.

Places in the units for 11 to 16-year-olds cost schools £323 per pupil per week.