Select Committee on Education and Skills Minutes of Evidence


Memorandum submitted by ECOTEC Research and Consulting (Plus Team)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissioned ECOTEC Research and Consulting to carry out an audit into education and training provision within the under-18 secure estate, and a linked review of education provision for young people pre- and post-custody.

  The research aimed to:

    —  establish key baseline information at help strategic planning; and

    —  ensure consistency of service delivery across the three sectors that comprise the newly unified secure estate.

  It should be noted that this report refers, in the main, to the findings from the Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). Local Authority Secure Units (LASUs) and Secure Training Centres (STCs) have also been audited, but require a different set of actions in some cases to the YOIs.

  Phase 1 was an audit into education and training provision within the under-18 secure estate. Phase 2 involves interviewing 200 young people about their education and training careers pre- and post-custody. A database of 2,000 young people held on a Detention and Training Order (DTO) in March 2001 is also being compiled. Phase 3 is testing the proposition that in areas where there is a high level of non-attendance at school, there is also a high rate of youth crime.

  This report presents the audit findings of Phase 1 of the project. Audit teams visited each Young Offender Institution (YOI) and all the Local Authority Secure Units (LASUs) and Secure Training Centres (STCs) with which the YJB currently contracts. Information from the interviews with young people being carried out for Phase 2 is also included.

MAIN FINDINGS

Overview

  The custodial institutions are attempting to meet the needs of socially excluded young people who are best with multiple disadvantages. In terms of education and training, the young people's immediate antecedents are mainly characterised by lack of access and/or non-participation, and long-standing deficits in literacy and numeracy.

  Almost all the institutions were doing their best in difficult circumstances. Several provided evidence of a strong turnaround in their educational performance following critical inspection reports. However, Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) have not been provided with the appropriate internal infrastructure and resources, nor do they have the essential external links to initiate and sustain the radical change necessary.

  The report and its recommendations focus on the YOIs, both because they supply 85% of the custodial places and because of the degree of the change necessary within them.

Population dynamics

  The introduction of the Detention and Training Order (DTO) appears to have accelerated the throughput of young people very significantly. This has increased instability across the whole of YOI regimes. There are fundamental questions about the appropriateness of the curriculum and expectations of learning gains within such short sentences.

Leadership and accountability

  There is confusion over the roles of the YJB, the new Prisoners' Learning and Skills Unit in the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and the Prison Service. Education is not the focus of Young Offender Institutions in the way that it is within Local Authority Secure Unites and Secure Training Centres. There is a relatively high degree of territorialism; the current contracting regime exacerbates this. YOIs and their education departments are subject to a disproportionate amount of inspection and monitoring.

Secure colleges

  The need is to make a transition from establishments focusing primarily on control to ones which emphasise learning and reintegrating juvenile offenders into education and training in the community. In order to succeed in this, a conceptual framework akin to that of the secure college is essential.

Management

  Strategic planning is not well developed. Education departments are disconnected from many of the significant changes that have occurred in mainstream education in recent years. There is limited use of information and communication technologies (ICT). Information is not routinely used for performance management.

Human resources

  Custodial education has a serious lack of a career structure underpinned by relevant qualifications. Terms and conditions in YOIs are significantly worse than in Local Authority Secure Units and mainstream teaching. The labour force is predominantly part-time and turnover is relatively high, particularly for education managers. The level of qualifications is relatively low.

  There is a serious deficiency of learning support assistant time to assist teaching staff and to work one-to-one with young people. YOIs also lack sufficient special educational needs (SEN) co-ordinators and educational psychologists.

  There tend to be divisions among vocational, teaching and prison officer staff, all of who are involved in aspects of educational activities.

Curriculum

  There is no clear model or rationale for the curriculum. An appropriate curriculum would take account of the new sentence lengths, the young people's educational antecedents and the importance of managing educational transitions between custody and the community.

Literacy and numeracy profile of young people in custody

  The average age within YOIs was 17. Just over one-quarter of the custodial population was of compulsory school age. Nearly half of these young people had literacy and numeracy levels below those of the average 11-year old. Over one-quarter had numeracy levels equivalent to that of the average seven-year old or younger.

Accommodation

  Accommodation is a major constraint on expansion, for both the volume and quality of education across Young Offender Institutions. There is a serious lack of facilities, particularly for science and also in craft, design and technology.

Teaching and learning

  A broad, balanced curriculum is not on offer. Special educational needs are an area of major weakness, with insufficient support and an extremely low level of transmission of important evidence from and to the community. Literacy and numeracy do not permeate the curriculum sufficiently. Other areas needing improvement are accreditation, awards ceremonies, homework, lesson planning, and National Records of Achievement (NRA).

Costs

  At current funding levels, YOIs cannot provide all the young people with an acceptable education. Nearly as much is spent on education for the 300 bed spaces in LASUs as on the 2,900 bed spaces in YOIs. The cost per bed space on average is 8 to 10 times greater in Local Authority Secure Units and Secure Training Centres than in Young Offender Institutions. There is a marked variation in costs across LASUs, and for the larger ones education is significantly more expensive than in Secure Training Centres.

Messages from young people

  The majority had been receiving part-time provision prior to custody. There was little evidence of disaffection with formal education—most preferred it to alternative provision such a pupil referral units or education in custody. But even the limited provision available in custody has made a real difference to some young people. Custody was proving very damaging for the minority who has a school or college placement immediately prior to their custodial sentence. The majority had little awareness of what was arranged for them on release in terms of education or training.

CONCLUSIONS

  The recommendations require a combination of leadership from the YJB and capacity-building within the custodial institutions and in the community. The YJB needs to be assured that it has sufficient quantity and level of expertise to manage this large-scale and challenging process. The Board is likely to need to move into a simpler, more direct and at times more directive role within the secure estate.

  The need is to focus on the young person in devising and providing education and training by giving a reality to the DTO to create an integrated programme.

  The enhancement of education and training needs to occur within a strategic framework, otherwise problems may be compounded and inconsistency of provision exacerbated, with little to integrate provision within custody and the community.

  Much remains to be done if the Detention and Training Order is to fulfil its intended purpose.

RECOMMENDATIONS

  The recommendations concentrate on YOIs and take account of the Youth Justice Board's project to develop a literacy and numeracy assessment of learning materials.

  It is vital that implementation of this potentially daunting programme does not destabilise establishments under considerable pressure. If the programme is accepted, it would need to proceed with clear timescales, early demonstration of positive intent and constructive dialogue with the key players in YOIs.

  The scale of the underfunding of education and training within YOIs might require a bid by the Youth Justice Board in the next spending review. This would put even more emphasis on rapidly drawing up a credible education and training plan to deliver some significant short-term gains; it should still be possible to pilot secure colleges.

1.  YOUTH JUSTICE BOARD LEADERSHIP

  The Board to:

  1.1  Prepare a strategic plan for education and training.

  1.2  Equip itself with an in-house educationltraining team with appropriate experience, or enter into a strategic partnership/national supporter contract in order to provide the change management expertise.

  1.3  Design and introduce a curriculum framework with appropriate key performance targets.

  1.4  Develop a contracting regime to stimulate new providers of education, training and allied activities.


2.  THE SECURE COLLEGE CONCEPT

  2.1  The YJB should aim to enable the establishment of education and training centres where the students are held in secure conditions.

  2.2  Pilot such an approach under direct contract to the YJB with a national supporter and external evaluation framework.

3.  HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGY

  3.1  Aim to create a professional, high-status service with its own career structure and nationally recognised qualifications.

  3.2  Devise and implement a coherent programme of preparatory training and continuing professional development for education and training within the secure estate.

  3.3  This to be underpinned by a national programme of INSET.

  3.4  Use the additional funding to create a special educational needs co-ordinator port, and terms of learning support assistants and educational psychologist posts for all YOIs.

  3.5  Offer incentives ton recruit effective teaching practitioners.

  3.6  Introduce an education director post working directly to the governor.

4.  ASSESSMENT, PLANNING AND REVIEW

  4.1  Introduce an integrated and computerised assessment system across the secure estate.

  4.2  Ensure that education departments are integrated into sentence planning. Education staff to attend all reviews.

  4.3  Set targets, monitor them and use financial sanctions to ensure that there is 100% completion and transmission of ASSET to custodial institutions.

  4.4  Amend ASSET so that it is clear that the education and training section must be passed immediately to the education department. Modify to ensure that full education information is recorded properly.

  4.5  Issue guidance in conjunction with DfEE to LEAs and Connexions service partnerships to ensure that crucial SEN information always speedily accompanies a young person to custody.

  4.6  Devise and introduce an added-value measure that applies across the custodial and community components of the DTO and includes measures for education I training continuity.

  4.7  Standardised summative educational assessments to be given to all young people immediately prior to released.

  4.8  Review existing systems and introduce electronic attendance monitoring systems in all Young Offender Institutions.

5.  TEACHING AND LEARNING

  5.1  Integrate the education and vocational provision to provide a more balanced, broader and coherent curriculum for all young people.

  5.2  Devise and introduce an incentive/rewards programme specific to education and training to further elevate the statue of learning.

  5.3  Ensure that there is a coherent approach to educational accommodation and that YJB funds are only used where there is appropriate advice on design.

  5.4  The role and resourcing of libraries as learning centres needs specific attention.

  5.5  Ensure that the National Record of Achievement is completed in custody to the standards applying in mainstream education and that Youth Offending Team (YOT) supervising officers are accountable for ensuring its transition and continuation in the community part of the sentence.

  5.6  Review and introduce an appropriate accreditation scheme that has national currency and can be overseen in custody and the community.

  5.7  Set standards regarding the formal setting of homework for all young people.

6.  INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT

  6.1  Set standards for and fund dedicated classroom support staff, especially for literacy and numeracy skills.

  6.2  Introduce an integrated case management system.

  6.3  Introduce a personal tutorial system.

7.  EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

  7.1  Commission research into the most effective curriculum and teaching and learning styles for engaging young offenders, particularly in terms of reducing their offending.

  7.2  Establish a formal education advisory group for each YOI.

  7.3  Pilot a streamlined inspection process that incorporates features of existing inspection regimes, but pays particular attention to both parts of the DTO's effectiveness.

  7.4  Commission a handbook for education departments, to include case-studies and guidance on evidence-based practice within custody and the community.

  7.5  Develop an intranet for education departments across the secure estate so that effective practice can be shared easily and the implementation of the education and training strategy better co-ordinated.

8.  STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FURTHER EDUCATION (FE) SECTOR

  8.1  Negotiate through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and key agencies such as the Association of Colleges a guarantee of full-time courses available immediately on release from custody for all young offenders aged 14 to 18.

  8.2  Develop jointly with the relevant bodies a training programme for college lecturers and learning support assistants so that the have the requisite skills to work with juvenile offenders.

  8.3  Negotiate with local LSCs for funding for a college member of staff for each YOT.

  8.4  Pilot a grid for learning to link up FE colleges, Young Offender Institutions and YOTs.

9.  CONNEXIONS SERVICES

  9.1  Negotiate with the Connexions Service for personal advisers dedicated to young offenders on custodial sentences.

10.  ICT

  10.1  Develop and implement a comprehensive ICT strategy across the secure estate, linking these establishments to YOTs and FE colleges.

  10.2  Prescribe the hardware and software to be purchased, or at the least provide specifications.

  10.3 Review the strengths and weaknesses of the Quantum project

  and consider contracting relationships separate to this agreement.

  The following indicative action plan depends on the Youth Justice Board's acceptance of these recommendations, its ability to acquire the necessary capacity to deliver this programme, and the availability of resources.

ACTION PLAN

Within three months
Recommendations No
Prepare a strategic plan for education and training 1.1
Establish YJB education team/national supporter 1.2
Design curricular framework1.3
Set specific targets for completion and transmission of ASSET 4.3
Amend education and training section of ASSET 4.4
Issue guidance to LEAs and Connexions service partnerships 4.5
Prepare effective practice handbook for education departments 7.5
Review the Quantum project10.3


Within six months
Fund special educational needs co-ordinator posts and educational psychologists 3.4
Introduce education director posts3.6
Ensure that education departments are integrated into sentence Planning 4.2
Devise and introduce added-value measures 4.6
Devise and introduce incentive programmes specific to education and training 5.3
Ensure that the National Record of Achievement is completed in custody and in the community 5.6
Review and introduce an appropriate accreditation scheme for both custody and the community 5.7
Fund and introduce learning support staff 6.1
Establish an education advisory group for each Young Offender Institution 7.2
Devise and pilot a streamlined inspection process 7.3
Commission research into the most effective curriculum and teaching and learning styles for young offenders 7.1
Develop an intranet for education departments across the secure estate 7.5
Develop a training programme for FE college staff 8.2
Negotiate with the Connexions National Unit for dedicated personal advisers for young people in custody 9.1
Produce ICT specifications for the secure estate 10.2
Review systems and introduce electronic attendance monitoring 4.8


Within one year
Commence a pilot of a secure college working directly to the Youth Justice Board 2.2
Develop a new contracting regime1.4
Devise and implement a national training programme 3.2 & 3.3
Offer incentives to enhance recruitment 3.5
Introduce an integrated electronic assessment system 4.1
Introduce pre-release educational assessments 4.7
Ensure a coherent approach to improving educational Accommodation 5.4
Develop the role of libraries5.5
Introduce an integrated case management system 6.2
Introduce a personal tutorial system6.3
Negotiate with the LSC guaranteed provision on release from custody for juvenile offenders 8.1
Secure from local LSCs a college-based member of staff for each YOT 8.3
Pilot a grid for learning, linking selected FE colleges and YOIs 8.4


Within three years
Secure funding and transform Young Offender Institutions into secure colleges 2.1
Create a professional, high-status educational and training service 3.1
Integrate educational and vocational provision within Young Offender Institutions 5.1
Implement a comprehensive ICT strategy across the whole secure estate 10.1
July 2004





 
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