Prison Education

Education Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 19 Nov 2020 Closed: 20 Oct 2022 Parliament page
The inquiry is examining how current arrangements support learners in custody and how well prison education delivers the skills needed by employers. The inquiry is considering education for adults, young people and children in custody. It will look at what barriers exist, for instance, to delivering apprenticeships in a custodial … Read more
34 Recommendations
4 Conclusions
1 Report
7 Oral sessions
2 Letters
7 Events
Activity timeline 18 events
27 Sep
2022
Report published
18 May
2022
Report published
18 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
18 Jan
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
14 Dec
2021
Oral evidence
14 Dec
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
2 Nov
2021
Oral evidence
2 Nov
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
21 Sep
2021
Oral evidence
21 Sep
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
8 Jun
2021
Oral evidence
8 Jun
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Virtual meeting
Oral evidence sessions 7 sessions
18 Jan 2022
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Prison Education: Ministerial session
Alex Burghart MP · Department for Education Louise Wright · Department for Education Phil Copple · HMPPS Victoria Atkins · Ministry of Justice
14 Dec 2021
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Prison Education
Darren Burns · Timpson Sasha Simmonds · O’Neill & Brennan Ted Rosner · Redemption Roasters Tony Hughes · Williams Homes
2 Nov 2021
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Prison Education
Ben Leapman David Breakspear Femi Laryea-Adekimi Jonathan Gilbert Kiri Jolliffe
21 Sep 2021
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Prison Education - Ofsted panel; Prison Education - Educational providers
Andrea Greer · Weston College Matthew Coffey · Ofsted Paul Joyce · Ofsted Peter Cox · Novus Sally Alexander · Milton Keynes College Sophie Sterling · People Plus
8 Jun 2021
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Prison Education
Francesca Cooney, Prisoner Learning Alliance Michala Robertson, Open University Peter Dawson, Prison Reform Trust Stephen Johnson, Prison Governors Association
25 May 2021
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Prison Education
David Hughes · Association of Colleges Julian Smith · Bounce Back Lisa Capper MBE · NACRO Shereen Lawrence · St Giles Trust Simon Ashworth · Association of Employment and Learning Providers
20 Apr 2021
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Prison Education
Dame Sally Coates DBE Peter Stanford · Coates Review Rod Clark · Coates Review
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First report - Not just another brick in the wall: why prisoner… HC 56 18 May 2022 38 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
7 results
Clear
5 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First report - Not just another b…
Many prisoners have a negative view of education.
Many prisoners have a negative view of education. Incentives therefore have a part to play in encouraging prisoners to engage, or re-engage, with education. We recommend that the Ministry of Justice ensures that pay for education is equal to the … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation in principle and intends to consult practitioners on the implications of any change to the current approach and consider how they can develop a culture of learning in prisons. However, they do not commit to equal pay for education or directly linking educational attendance or achievement to temporary release as a reward.
Department for Education
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9 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First report - Not just another b…
Support for prisoners with learning difficulties is long over-due.
Support for prisoners with learning difficulties is long over-due. We welcome the Government’s recent commitment in its Prisons Strategy White Paper to provide dedicated specialist support staff, but the Government must ensure that there is adequate resourcing for this. The … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts this recommendation in principle and is recruiting new support managers for prisoners with additional learning needs, working towards recruiting 61 in the first year and a further 61 in the second year, resulting in one support manager in every prison by 2024. These roles are not identical to SENCOs, who specifically focus on education needs.
Department for Education
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10 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First report - Not just another b…
Developing individual learning plans with prisoners helps to secure their commitment to, and ownership of,...
Developing individual learning plans with prisoners helps to secure their commitment to, and ownership of, their own education, and provides a focus on individual learning. It helps to make prisoners aware of the options available to them in terms of … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts in principle and is exploring the best long-term arrangements for a future Careers Information, Advice and Guidance Service, which may not take the precise form of the National Careers Service. They are also developing Personal Learning Plans, and will introduce resettlement passports to bring together key information and services needed to resettle into society.
Department for Education
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18 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First report - Not just another b…
It is key that civil society is allowed to engage with prisons.
It is key that civil society is allowed to engage with prisons. To ensure that prisons fulfil this aim, a criteria must be added to the evaluation framework of Ofsted inspections to ensure that they examine how prisons engage with civil society.
Government Response
The government accepts the need for KPIs to measure education and training, and HMPPS has introduced new KPIs, and Ofsted will have access to this data. However, they do not commit to specifically adding a criteria to the evaluation framework of Ofsted inspections to ensure that they examine how prisons engage with civil society.
Department for Education
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23 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First report - Not just another b…
We have serious concerns around allowing prisoners free and un-fettered access to the internet.
We have serious concerns around allowing prisoners free and un-fettered access to the internet. However, we have been assured that security concerns can be overcome as technology exists which allows access to be restricted to approved content which can be … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation in principle and will assess the condition of prison buildings, including education and workshop facilities, over the next 12-18 months.
Department for Education
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32 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First report - Not just another b…
No-one understands the skills market better than employers.
No-one understands the skills market better than employers. Local partnership with employers is key to identifying and providing the necessary skills for the job market. During our inquiry, we heard of some fantastic partnerships between prisons and businesses. However, these … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation in principle but states that auditing the size of individual employers would be administratively challenging and that NFN is only one source of employment, but will explore ways to better demonstrate the work and impact of NFN.
Department for Education
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38 Conclusion Accepted in Part
First report - Not just another b…
There is a lack of data about the impact of education and training in prisons.
There is a lack of data about the impact of education and training in prisons. It is important that there is in-depth analysis on what kind of programmes are most effective, and on longer-term outcomes. The Ministry of Justice must … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts this recommendation in principle and is developing personal learning plans for prisoners and measures of progress; they will explore the potential for longitudinal research as part of monitoring and evaluation strategy.
Department for Education
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Government Response AI assessment · 38 of 34 classified
Accepted 19
Accepted in Part 7
Acknowledged 4
Rejected 8
Total 34 recs + 4 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
19 May 2021 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice, requesting prison education data for those in the adult estate, dated 18 May 2021
Parliament page
29 Apr 2021 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice, requesting youth custody and educational data, dated 29 April 2021
Parliament page