The council's policy is to help pregnant teenagers attend school for as long as possible and to provide online educational services via a virtual classroom for those teenagers who prefer to study outside of the school environment.
The Social Exclusion Report on Teenage Pregnancy (June 1999) stated that Britain had the worst record of teenage pregnancies in Europe with approximately 90,000 teenagers becoming pregnant every year. Every part of the country is affected, but the situation is worst in the poorest areas. The report highlighted two main goals:
- Reducing the rate of teenage conceptions, with the specific aim of halving the rate of conceptions among under 18's by 2010
- Getting more teenage parents into education, training or employment, to reduce the risk of long term social exclusion
Referral Unit for Pregnant Schoolgirls and Schoolgirl Mothers
Ashlyns Unit is a pupil referral unit for pregnant schoolgirls and schoolgirl mothers. It is part of the Newcastle Bridges School. Many pupils at Ashlyns defer their GCSEs for a year and so sit their exams in year 12.
For further information and school contact details visit the Ashlyns Unit page
More information can be found on the Newcastle Children's Services website.
Other information
The Family Services Directory is a comprehensive guide to services and organisations. It provides information for children, young people, parents, carers, health and social care professionals, childcare practitioners including the wider community.
For a full list of organisations visit the Family Services Directory.