The Link School is a special school which provides for pupils with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties as their primary need. Many pupils also have additional needs including Autistic Spectrum conditions or speech, language and communication difficulties. The majority remain registered at mainstream schools with a view to returning and most have previously been excluded from mainstream schools. A third of pupils, who also have statements of special educational needs, are allocated places at this school. The other pupils stay at The Link for periods of anything between two and 16 weeks depending on the provision they are allocated. Some also stay for a further 16-week period or continue their full-time education at the school. The Link provides alternative provision used by schools across the local authority and from further afield. These are: – ‘Way to Go’, providing individualised timetables for pupils at Key Stage 4. – ‘The Assessment Placement Service’ which provides for pupils who are on the sixth day of a temporary exclusion and those who have been permanently excluded from schools. – ‘Solo’, delivered by the school working in partnership with ‘The Riverside Youth Project’ to provide sport, extra teaching support for English & Maths, behaviour support, Art and PHSE. at their centre in Bristol. The proportion of pupils in receipt of pupil premium (additional government funding) for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after by the local authority is much higher than average in this school. The new headteacher started in September 2012. There are no children in the Early Years Foundation Stage currently registered at the school.