Select Committee on Education and Skills Seventh Report


Conclusions and recommendations


The purpose of prison education

1.  The purpose of education and training in prisons should be to play a key role in improving the employability of prisoners and therefore contribute to reducing recidivism. However, we would wish the purpose of prison education to be understood in broader terms than just improving the employability of a prisoner. We would emphasise the importance of delivering education also because it is the right thing to do in a civilised society. Education has a value in itself and it is important to develop the person as a whole, not just in terms of the qualifications they hold for employment. The breadth of the education curriculum is important and employability skills should not be emphasised to such an extent that the wider benefits of learning are excluded. (Paragraph 22)

2.  We urge the Government to give priority to undertaking the necessary research to demonstrate the impact of education and training on recidivism. It is unacceptable that this research has not been undertaken previously. It is essential to the future of prison education. (Paragraph 34)

3.  We are concerned that existing prison education policy, with its heavy concentration on basic skills qualifications, is based on little more than a 'hunch'. While basic skills are vital, they are not by themselves sufficient to ensure employment on release. We urge the Government to undertake thorough and robust research to identify what type of education and training provision will have the greatest impact on meeting the individual learning needs of the prisoner and providing them with real alternatives to crime on release. (Paragraph 47)

More investment is needed in preventative measures

4.  We urge the Government to focus on improving education provision for the almost 50% of students who do not achieve 5 A-Cs at GCSE, and particularly the 5% that leave school without any GCSEs. (Paragraph 52)

5.  We wish to highlight the importance of the Government's Every Child Matters programme of reform, on which we will be publishing our recommendations to Government shortly. (Paragraph 53)

The need for a clear purpose and overarching strategy

6.  We concur with the findings of the Home Affairs Committee which said it was 'disappointed with the elementary nature of many of the National Action Plan's action points', and that 'the National Action Plan should be re-issued in an expanded form .. setting a clear timetable for implementation.' The National Action Plan fails to providing an overarching strategy for the rehabilitation of prisoners in which the role of prison education can be clearly identified. (Paragraph 62)

7.  Neither the Government nor the media have done enough to communicate the importance of prison education to the general public. This Committee believes this is unacceptable. A change in public attitude must be driven by political leadership. The Government must act on its responsibility to inform the general public of the purpose and importance of prison education as part of a broader strategy to rehabilitate prisoners in order to reduce recidivism for the benefit of the wider community. (Paragraph 77)

Flexible and learner-centred provison

8.  If the system of prison education is intended to be learner-centred, there needs to be much more flexibility. Learning needs to be relevant, learner-centred, and key skills should be embedded in employment-focused training. (Paragraph 81)

9.  A learner-centred system of prison education should deliver a programme of assessment to identify learning needs, including special education needs. This assessment should then be clearly linked to a defined entitlement to provision to meet those needs. This should be delivered through an Individual Learning Plan, owned by the individual, and embedded in their overall Sentence Plan. (Paragraph 82)

10.  The initial assessment of a prisoner's education level is totally inadequate at present and we urge the Government to completely overhaul the existing system. There is an urgent need to put in place a system of assessment that can identify the learning needs, including any special educational needs, of each individual prisoner. (Paragraph 93)

11.  From the limited evidence we have of the complex learning difficulties of many prisoners we believe that every prison should have a special educational needs co-ordinator specifically to support the special educational needs of prisoners. We urge the Government to extend the provision of special educational needs co-ordinators from Young Offender Institutions to every adult prison. (Paragraph 99)

12.  The introduction of Learning Support Assistants to the juvenile estate has been a great success and has enabled a much greater focus on the individual needs of prisoners. We recommend the provision of learning support assistants in adult prisons. (Paragraph 102)

13.  We recommend that investment in young offenders is brought up to meet the level of additional investment that the Youth Justice Board has delivered to the juvenile estate. With some of the highest reconviction rates, young offenders represent a vital stage of any strategy to reduce recidivism, and this discrepancy in investment cannot continue. In particular, we recommend that the prescribed entitlement to education, and the introduction of special educational needs co-ordinators and learning support assistants are extended to young offenders. (Paragraph 104)

14.  Prisoners should be given an entitlement to have their identified learning needs met. In principle, the Committee recommends that all prisoners should have an entitlement to have these learning needs met, but we recognise that this would be a long-term goal and that learning needs might have to be met on release for some prisoners. (Paragraph 111)

15.  We believe that the entitlement to free level 2 education for all adults should be applied equally to the prison population. (Paragraph 112)

16.  The Government must deliver on its commitment to implement a system of Individual Learning Plans linked to Sentence Plans. The haphazard nature in which this is undertaken at present cannot continue. This should be a priority for delivery. (Paragraph 117)

17.  The transfer of records across prisons is a disgrace. The overcrowding of prisons and movement of prisoners across the prison estate is no excuse. The fact that prisoners are repeatedly put through initial assessments and Key Performance Target tests because their records cannot be transferred is unacceptable. The Committee recommends the urgent delivery of an electronic system for the transfer of records. The refinement and implementation of the Offender Assessment System (OAsys) must be stepped up with no further delays. (Paragraph 122)

18.  The Government should ensure that education provision is flexible enough to adapt to the different types of prisons and prisoners. Local prisons that hold prisoners with very short sentences, for example, should have their purpose clearly defined as being focused on information, advice, and guidance activity linking to rehabilitation and education services available in the community on release. (Paragraph 132)

The continuation of provision on release

19.  If the purpose of providing education and training in prisons is to reduce re-offending by enabling prisoners to gain secure employment, then the continuation of support and programmes on release is essential. The Government needs to: produce an overarching resettlement strategy for prisoners; commit to the continuity of provision of education and training on release; and deliver on its commitment to provide the full-package of support necessary through the National Offender Management Service. (Paragraph 136)

The structures for delivery of prison education

20.  We consider that changes in the formal structure for the delivery of prison education at the national level have yet to deliver a positive outcome for prisoners' experience of education and training because of the absence of an overarching strategy across the different Government departments and a lack of ownership and championing of prison education at the national level. (Paragraph 139)

21.  We are very disappointed that the LSC has not included prison education it its statement of priorities. (Paragraph 142)

22.  We urge the Government to prioritise, and provide the necessary funding for, the process of bridging the gap between education inside and outside prisons through the involvement of the Learning and Skills Council. Prison education must not simply be 'bolted-on' to the LSC. The Government must take responsibility for making prison education a priority for the LSC. (Paragraph 145)

Managing delivery through contracts

23.  Under current contracting arrangements in prisons education and vocational training continue to be organised separately. Furthermore, the recent reforms to contracts have created such uncertain working conditions that many experienced and highly qualified teachers have left prison education because of this. (Paragraph 149)

24.  The DfES have failed in their responsibility to inform those working in prison education of the guiding principles underlying the reform of contracts as well as the progress of implementation of the new proposals. The DfES must clearly outline the rationale behind the three prototype models for contracting, and the criteria on which they will be assessed. Finally, they must outline a detailed timetable of implementation for new contract arrangements and commit to meeting this timetable. (Paragraph 154)

25.  The Committee believes that the funding methodology for prison education must be fit for purpose. It should be flexible enough to fund the various forms of education and learning programmes that are suited to the type of establishment, to the prisoner population within it, and to the patterns of movement to and from that prison.. (Paragraph 158)

26.  We recommend that the LSC is given the appropriate resources necessary to apply its standard funding methodology so that prisons have access to all of the funding streams available to mainstream Colleges. In particular, we wish to see the Additional Learning Support funding approach applied to prison education. (Paragraph 164)

27.  We recommend that the Government undertakes a fundamental review to come to conclusions on what it wants to achieve through prison education and then funds education provision at a level sufficient to meet this chosen outcome. Existing budget constraints, based on historical levels of provision, should not continue. A clear strategy for prison education should be costed and appropriately funded. (Paragraph 168)

The role of Heads of Learning and Skills

28.  The appointment of Heads of Learning and Skills is a welcome progression but, in many cases, they have not been able to fulfil their intended role. (Paragraph 172)

29.  We recommend that the DfES and the Home Office jointly champion the role of Heads of Learning and Skills and increase their profile within the senior management of prisons with clear direction and accountability. (Paragraph 172)

30.  In order to prevent further loss of staff from the profession, and to help improve recruitment, the Government must ensure that the specialist role of teaching staff in prisons is properly recognised and rewarded. The professional isolation of these teachers must be remedied through the new role of the Learning and Skills Council in delivering education provision. At present there is no specific funding identified for this purpose. The Government should properly identify, fund, and drive this process forward. (Paragraph 178)

The resettlement Key Performance Target

31.  It is clearly extremely important to find a way to measure education, training or employment outcomes for prisoners soon after release, and the Prison Service or National Offender Management Service should make this a priority. (Paragraph 189)

Value-added targets

32.  We recommend that existing qualification-based targets, and their impact on education provision, are reconsidered. Key Performance Targets have distorted the provision of education and training within prisons leading to prisoners taking classes which maybe completely inappropriate for their needs. What is needed is a system of delivery whereby prison education is assessed against its stated purpose. We recommend that value-added targets are implemented to enable education provision to be focused on the individual needs of prisoners. (Paragraph 199)

Delivering effective education and training

33.  Current provision of prison education is unacceptable. Whilst the Government has provided a substantial increase in resources it is failing to fully meet its manifesto commitment to 'dramatically increase the quality and quantity of education provision'. In 2004, still less than a third of prisoners had access to prison education at any one time. There needs to be a fundamental shift in approach to prison education and a step change in the level of high quality provision that is suited to meet the needs of individual prisoners to provide them with a real alternative to crime on release. (Paragraph 214)

34.  The quality of existing education provision remains a major concern. 60% of provision inspected by the Adult Learning Inspectorate was inadequate. This is unacceptable. There must be rapid progress towards meeting external standards of provision of education and training in prisons. (Paragraph 224)

Internet access

35.  We believe that lack of access to the internet is a significant barrier to learning. Access to the internet clearly must be controlled and properly supervised, but the internet is essential both as a learning tool and as a key skill for employment. We recommend that the Government prioritises progress in this area and sets out a clear timetable for implementation of access across the prison estate. (Paragraph 229)

The Basic Skills Agenda

36.  An over-emphasis on basic skills driven by Key Performance Targets has narrowed the curriculum too far. Whilst aiming to meet the basic skills needs of prisoners the Government must endeavour to broaden out the prison education curriculum and increase flexibility of provision to meet the much wider range of educational needs that exists within the prison system. (Paragraph 237)

37.  We recommend that the Government gives further consideration to how basic skills might be embedded in more practical learning experiences right across the prison estate, on a much greater scale than is available to prisoners at present. (Paragraph 241)

Embedded skills

38.  Part of the difficulty in embedding basic skills in more practical learning is the separate nature of education, vocational training, and work in prisons. This cannot be allowed to continue. (Paragraph 242)

Job-related training

39.  Vocational training that does not offer the skills needed in today's job market should not continue. Vocational training should be geared towards the needs of the prisoners, not the historic availability of provision at a given prison. A broader variety of vocational opportunities as well as work opportunities need to be offered that prepare prisoners for employment. (Paragraph 245)

Links to employers

40.  We fully support the excellent work of the Young Offender Programme, led by National Grid Transco, and recommend that the Government should take steps to enable and encourage many more of these partnership arrangements with employers. (Paragraph 248)

41.  As with the Young Offender Programme, led by National Grid Transco, the Committee would like to see more identification of skills shortages within areas local to the prison, and partnerships developed with businesses to meet these skill shortages. (Paragraph 249)

42.  Working with employers has to be the future of vocational education provision and this has to be driven and funded by the Government. The direct relationship between the private company that is providing the training and the prison, including the prisoners themselves, is of vital importance and needs to be maintained. (Paragraph 251)

Real work—real pay

43.  This Committee recommends that the Government considers placing a much larger proportion of short-term prisoners in open prisons so that they can continue their links in the community with a full week of work or education or both. (Paragraph 261)

44.  The Committee urges the Government to give 'real work, real pay' proposals full consideration as a possible solution to reducing recidivism. (Paragraph 264)

45.  We would like to see the Government encouraging a great deal more entrepreneurial activity within prisons both in terms of business enterprises to provide real work for prisoners and in terms of forging much closer links with local Further Education Colleges, Universities, and employers. (Paragraph 267)

Motivation to learn

46.  Motivation of the learner in prison is extremely important. Much more needs to be done to provide a wide range of high quality education programmes that should be available for prisons to meet the needs and different learning styles of prisoners to engage them in learning. (Paragraph 271)

Equal pay

47.  We recommend that pay must be equalised across all activities undertaken in prison with immediate effect. There must be equal pay for education as for all other activities. Workshops that offer tedious, unskilled work should be phased out as they contribute nothing to the employability of a prisoner on release. (Paragraph 280)

Mentoring

48.  We have been impressed by the success of various mentoring programmes run by charitable organisations and urge the Government to look at significantly increasing the role of mentoring in prison education, including supporting existing successful programmes on a national basis. (Paragraph 283)

Work of charities in prison education

49.  We welcome the significant contribution to prison education that is made by the voluntary sector. However, we strongly believe that the Government cannot devolve its responsibility to provide education and training to the voluntary sector. We recommend that the Government undertakes a thorough review of the different charities working in the prison sector and those that are successful are given national recognition, funding, support, and enter the quality assurance regime. (Paragraph 285)

Mobility/churn

50.  The movement of prisoners at existing levels has to stop if the prison service is going to provide the stability required to deliver prison education and wider rehabilitation programmes. Without significant changes in this area, reform of prison education will not be effective. (Paragraph 292)

Short sentences

51.  It is clear that reforms to prison education cannot take place in isolation from wider reforms including addressing the existing sentencing policy in relation to short-term prisoners. The Government needs to ask the fundamental question of why the Courts are sending these people to prison for such a short period and what is being achieved by doing so. (Paragraph 300)

Physical space

52.  We believe there should be a capital element to prison education funding, and that a significant investment needs to be made to improve facilities across the prison estate. (Paragraph 303)

Prison staff

53.  We must keep in mind the fact that a prison is a prison and not a secure learning centre. Nevertheless, an investment in staff education and development would pay dividends to a prison service with chronic staffing problems, particularly in terms of developing a more positive attitude towards the role that education has to play in prisons. (Paragraph 310)

54.  The initial training period of 8 weeks for prison officers is totally inadequate. The Government must encourage the development of prison officers if prison staff are to be expected to encourage the development of prisoners. The initial training period must be significantly increased to a level that reflects an appropriate investment to enable prison officers to play a key role in the education and training of prisoners. Furthermore, prison officers should have an equivalent entitlement to training and development once they are in post. (Paragraph 329)

Barriers to education

55.  The barriers to prison education that exist within the regime itself, including overcrowding, churn, staffing shortages, and staff attitudes to education, cannot be overcome by the DfES alone. These are complex and long-established barriers that need tackling from within the prison service itself if the provision of prison education and training is to be significantly improved. The Government should be aiming to develop a culture within prisons in which education and skills are a priority. The Home Office must take the lead in the large scale reform that is necessary to remove these barriers, and we encourage them to be bold in the reform of prisons and probation that is reportedly taking place at present. (Paragraph 332)



 
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