Supplementary evidence submitted by Susan
Pember, Department for Education and Skills
At the evidence session on Wednesday 17 November
I undertook to provide further information on two issues:
— the cost of Project REX;
— A table of basic skills qualifications
gained in prisons.
I think it may also be helpful if I took this
opportunity to set out more clearly the latest position on our
plans to improve delivery of learning and skills for offenders,
working with the Learning and Skills Council. I am conscious that
plans were still in development at the time Ivan Lewis sent you
our memorandum in June 2004. Things have moved on considerably
since then but I note that the references you have had in previous
hearings have not given you a comprehensive description of our
plans for the coming years.
As the Committee has heard, Ministers decided
in January not to proceed with plans to re-tender the existing
prison education contracts (Project REX). The main reasons for
this were that wider developments—notably the imminent plans
to set up a National Offender Management Service, and the relatively
recent creation of the LSC network—offered the opportunity
to deliver learning and skills in the context of better end to
end management of interventions with offenders, and with better
connection to mainstream provision. The fact that the LSC already
had a partnership with the National Probation Service, to deliver
learning to offenders in the community from April 2004 also meant
that we could aim to build with the LSC a new service for offenders
both in prison and community, rather than replicating contracts
that covered prison only. The National Probation Service partnership
with the LSC is already producing results; for the first time
ever the probation service is exceeding their basic skills targets
and 20% more qualifications have already been gained since April
this year than were gained in the whole of the previous academic
year.
The DfES is now working with partners towards
the phased introduction of a new integrated learning and skills
service for offenders in custody and the community, to build on
the excellent progress in basic skills and work skills delivery
that we have seen in the last year. The service will have very
well developed links with that provided for mainstream post-16
learners in the community, and will be planned, funded and monitored
by the Learning and Skills Council in the regions of England,
in close partnership with Prison and Probation Service, YJB and
Jobcentre Plus (plus others).
The key elements of the timetable are:
— most of the existing prison contracts
have been extended, in order to provide stability and continuity
in the transition. Contractors have been given extensions for
up to three years, but have been told that it is our intention
to phase them out earlier, as the LSC takes up responsibility.
— three development regions have been
chosen—the North East, North West and South West. In these
regions, partnerships led by the LSC will test different approaches
and elements of a future integrated service, from January 2005.
— emerging lessons from such partial
prototyping will allow us to finalise delivery options for the
new service with a final delivery model ready for the three Development
Regions to implement in August 2005. From that date, the LSC will
be responsible for the planning and funding of offender learning,
in prisons and in community for those under probation service
supervision.
— the six remaining English Regions
will commence delivery of the new, LSC-led service in August 2006—having
introduced, on a progressive basis, some successfully prototyped
elements of the new service from next August.
The key elements of the new service—what
we might describe as the learning and skills "offer"
for offenders—are set out in the Offenders' Learning Journey.
This has been developed through an extensive process of consultation.
Its key features are presented in the sequence an offender will
experience them:
— information, advice and guidance,
in a form appropriate to the individual, to support the choice
of learning programme and provide continuous guidance throughout
their learning to maintain commitment;
— an individual diagnostic assessment
to inform the content and delivery of their learning programme;
— individual learning plans which are
up-to-date, follow offenders as they move, and inform decisions
both inside and outside custody;
— the best possible provision for e-learning;
— a programme which is designed to
enable each person to realise their potential, to provide opportunities
for personal development and a chance to change behaviour and
make a more positive contribution to society.
It is important to recognise how far many key
issues of concern to the OLSU, the Adult Learning Inspectorate,
and the Committee—such as integration of vocational training
and basic skills, targets, assessment and data transfer -are being
addressed through plans to improve the service in partnership
with the LSC. I hope that this information is useful and if you
would like any further information, please do not hesitate to
ask.
Supplementary 1
THE COST OF PROJECT REX
The PricewaterhouseCoopers Review of October
2002 cost £76,318.20. One of the options recommended by the
review was a new competitive re tendering exercise—Project
REX. Subsequent to the decision being made to implement REX, the
cross-Government Efficiency Review, the establishment of the National
Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the drive to reduce bureaucracy
prompted ministers to agree that the original procurement exercise
would not be the best option to pursue and would not go ahead
in its original format. The time was right to integrate the delivery
of learning and skills to offenders into mainstream activity,
and to make sure as much resource as possible was released to
the front line to implement it. It was decided that this would
be done by reconsidering the PWC review and taking the option
of incorporating offender learning and skills into the Learning
and Skills Council's remit. The specifications were translated
into a document that set out the requirements for the new service.
Supplementary 2
BASIC SKILLS AWARDS ACHIEVED IN PRISONS
BREAKDOWN OF
AWARDS BY
LEVEL
| April 2001-
March 2002
| April 2002-
March 2003 | April 2003-
March 2004
| April 2004-
October 2004 |
Total
|
| Entry level | 3,104 | 9,120
| 13,431 | 12,521 | 38,176
|
| Level 1 | 6,028 | 17,208
| 18,905 | 14,039 | 56 180
|
| Level 2 | 16,168 | 15,190
| 14,181 | 8,941 | 54,480
|
| Total | 25,300 | 41,518
| 46,517 | 35,501 | 148,836
|
| | |
| | |
The number of awards achieved in each subject has only been
recorded reliably since April 2004:
| Level | Awards
|
| Entry ESOL | 721 |
| Entry Literacy | 3,783 |
| Entry Numeracy | 8,017 |
| Level 1 ESOL | 89 |
| Level 1 Literacy | 7,170 |
| Level 1 Numeracy | 6,780 |
| Level 2 ESOL | 34 |
| Level 2 Literacy | 5,355 |
| Level 2 Numeracy | 3,552 |
These figures are the number of qualifications achieved (not
the number of people who achieved them). Not all of these count
towards the PSA Skills for Life Target, which does not include
entry Levels 1 and 2 or those achieved in Wales and counts the
number of people rather than qualifications.
Achievements that count towards basic skills targets are
given below. These have been accredited by the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and approved by the Secretary of
State. These qualifications are mapped to the national standards
for literacy and numeracy and will replace all existing awarding
body qualifications in Basic Skills.
Qualifications in ESOL also contribute to targets. National
qualifications will be available from 2005
| Qualification | Awarding Body
| Levels | Assessment method
|
| Key Skills—communications | OCR, City and Guilds, Edexcel and any other accredited by QCA
| 1, 2 | End test and portfolio of work
|
| Key Skills—Application of Number |
OCR, City and Guilds Edexcel and any other accredited by QCA
| 1, 2 | End test and portfolio of work
|
| English for Speakers of Other Languages—ESOL
| Any award approved by QCA | All levels
New qualifications available from 2005
| As specified |
| GCSE Maths | Any awarding body accredited to offer GCSEs
| A-C (2)
D-G (1) | Examination
|
| GCSE English | Any awarding body accredited to offer GCSEs
| A-C (2)
D-G (1) | Examination
|
| | |
|
| Qualification | Awarding Body
| Levels | Assessment method
|
| National Literacy Test | OCR, City and Guilds, Edexcel and any other accredited by QCA
| 1. 2 | Test |
| National Numeracy Test | OCR City and Guilds, Edexcel and any other accredited by OCA
| 1, 2 | Test |
| Literacy | OCR, City and Guilds, Edexcel and any other accredited by QCA
| Entry Level 1, 2
and 3 | Varied according to qualifications
|
| Numeracy | OCR, City and Guilds, Edexcel and any other accredited by QCA
| Entry Level 1, 2
and +3 | Varied according to qualifications
|
| 3 December 2004 | |
| |
|
