First report - Not just another brick in the wall: why prisoners need an education to climb the ladder of opportunity
Select Committee
Education Committee
HC 56
18 May 2022
Recommendations
6 results
4
Rejected
Para 22
There must also be a clear signal in each prison that education is an operational...
Recommendation
There must also be a clear signal in each prison that education is an operational priority. We recommend that each prison has a Deputy Governor of Learning who is part of the Senior Management team, who is directly responsible for …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating that governors already have the necessary freedom to set local pay rates and they do not propose to set additional rules on pay which governors must follow.
Department for Education
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16
Rejected
We also recommend that all prison Governors are given the appropriate training by the Ministry...
Recommendation
We also recommend that all prison Governors are given the appropriate training by the Ministry of Justice to acquire the skills to manage the contracts with their education providers more effectively. (Paragraph 72) 44 Not just another brick in the …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating that extending DPS contracts beyond two years would limit Governor flexibility and undermine the aim of widening education provision.
Department for Education
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17
Rejected
Para 76
The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) was meant to allow Governors to contract bespoke training, including...
Recommendation
The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) was meant to allow Governors to contract bespoke training, including with voluntary organisations, for their prisons. However, the current length of contracts is making it difficult for smaller organisations to bid. The length of DPS …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects this recommendation, stating that the overall responsibility for the quality and effectiveness of education sits with the governor. Inspections already include an assessment of how well the curriculum promotes personal development that includes engagement with civil society.
Department for Education
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19
Rejected
Para 82
The current prison inspection regime does not give enough weight to the quality of education.
Recommendation
The current prison inspection regime does not give enough weight to the quality of education. The award of a single grade to the establishment makes it difficult to see the origin of the failure, therefore making it difficult to act …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects this recommendation, stating that education is an important function but not the sole function of prisons, and a prison’s overall performance needs to be considered in the round.
Department for Education
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21
Rejected
Para 89
When considering moving prisoners, the position of where they are in a course or qualification...
Recommendation
When considering moving prisoners, the position of where they are in a course or qualification should be considered. The ability of whether they would be able to continue their qualification where they are moved to, should also be a factor.
Government Response Summary
The government rejects this recommendation and states that they are working to ensure prisons have the digital infrastructure they need to provide prisoners with a strategic, managed in-cell laptop service. Rolling this equipment out across the whole prison service is subject to continued and long-term resourcing so at present they cannot set a timetable for deployment across the whole estate.
Department for Education
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27
Rejected
Para 116
We recognise the reality of prison life and that prisoners may be transferred, often at...
Recommendation
We recognise the reality of prison life and that prisoners may be transferred, often at short notice. The Ministry of Justice must look at the ways that this can cause as little harm to their education as possible. We have …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to introduce modular courses, stating they want to prioritise initiatives that will make the greatest difference to rehabilitation and reducing reoffending - in particular, apprenticeships and skills bootcamps.
Department for Education
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Conclusions (2) Observations and findings — click to expand
24
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 107
Prison Education is in a perilous state due to a continual decline in funding. The Government has not increased funding for prison education for the last five years. The current prison regime contains many barriers to the successful delivery of prison education. Without significant investment in the prison estate, in …
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating that the Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out their 10-year vision to deliver a transformed Prisoner Education Service with a focus on giving prisoners the skills and opportunities to secure a job on release, with an injection of £550m over the next three years.
35
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 148
Our inquiry has shone a light on the benefits of prisoners being able to take apprenticeships. We are pleased that the Government has listened to the weight of evidence submitted to us on this issue, and will amend current Government policy. It is imperative that there is no delay in …
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation but plans to change the law later this year to enable serving prisoners to start apprenticeships and will continue to explore what more can be done to incentivise and reduce barriers to employers taking on prisoner and prison leavers.