Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Accepted
Paragraph: 115
The current provision of prison education is too narrow, and is not allowing prisoners to...
Recommendation
The current provision of prison education is too narrow, and is not allowing prisoners to achieve their full potential. Prisoners must be able to access a varied and diverse curriculum. Whilst aiming to meet the basic needs of prisoners with numeracy, literacy and IT, the Ministry of Justice must introduce a broader prison education curriculum which supports prisoners’ sentence and learning plans. The provision should also enable prisoners to embed these basic skills in more practical learning experiences. Where practical, prisoners should also be offered the chance to study wider subjects, including arts, and gain employability skills which will be crucial for them as they progress into society and the world of work.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepts this recommendation and states that most courses on offer are already unit or module-based to allow ease of transfer.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
115
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
We accept this recommendation. We are developing annual curriculum guidance to support governors in identifying the best curriculum for their prison population. The next iteration of the curriculum guidance, due to be published in Autumn, will focus on guiding prison course choices via both their PEF provider and the DPS to get the most 12 Government Response: Not just another brick in the wall: why prisoners need an education to climb the ladder of opportunity out of education provision. Education DPS further supports the delivery of wider subjects such as arts programmes and enables governors to broaden their curriculum offer beyond what is offered via their PEF provider. As part of our recent market engagement activity, we have been engaging with a range of prospective providers, with a view to broadening and diversifying the future curriculum offer.
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