Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 77
It is key that civil society is allowed to engage with prisons.
Recommendation
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 summary AI-generated
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.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
77
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
We reject this recommendation. We agree with the principle that Ofsted should make a specific comment about the education provider in inspection reports. However, the overall responsibility for the quality and effectiveness of education, skills and work activity sits Government Response: Not just another brick in the wall: why prisoners need an education 9 to climb the ladder of opportunity with the governor. To grade individual providers would dilute the level of accountability provided by inspection. This approach is the same as that applied in community education settings, where Ofsted inspects the main provider and comments on outsourced provision. Ofsted’s inspection framework in prisons is the same as that used in other further education and skills settings, contextualised for a secure setting. Inspections already include an assessment of how well the curriculum promotes personal development that includes engagement with civil society. We therefore do not believe that any amendments to the inspection framework are required.
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