Prison education ‘helping learners’ as Ofsted praises female institute

An institute for women and girls has been praised by the government body Ofsted for its delivery of quality educational standards in helping to improve the future prospects for learners.

Low Newton Prison and Young Offender Institution in Brasside, County Durham, received a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted as part of a report recently published following an unannounced inspection between November 10 and 20 last year.

The report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons highlighted how education was judged to be ‘good’ across the board. The educational part of the inspection – carried out by Ofsted – noted that women ‘enjoyed learning in calm and orderly classrooms’ and that they were motivated by warm and positive feedback.

National education provider Novus leads the provision of education services to women learners at Low Newton, including English and maths functional skills, vocational and accredited programmes, skills development to support employment as well as support for learners with additional needs.

Teachers and other Novus staff were praised by Ofsted for their levels of experience and qualifications and the support they provided to female learners. The report also noted strong attendance, which had improved since the previous inspection, as well as high motivation among learners.

According to Ofsted, the curriculum and learning environment provided at Low Newton led to a ‘high proportion’ of women completing their courses and achieving qualifications, with ‘a significant proportion’ also in employment six months after release.

Several reports in recent years indicate a significant link between prison education and reduced reoffending.

A report by the Ministry of Justice in 2022 found that people who had participated in education in prison were 7.5 per cent less likely to reoffend within 12 months of release than those who had not.

Peter Cox, managing director, Novus said:

“Offering high-quality education to those serving custodial sentences can change futures and provide strong benefits to wider society.

“There are undoubtedly challenges in prison education, including the ongoing impact of gang violence and wider prison staff shortages. However, Ofsted’s report is an independent verification of the impact of our work and the dedication of our teaching staff.

“Over recent months, we have implemented several new initiatives at Low Newton, as well as at the other UK institutes we work with, to further raise the standards of the teaching and support we provide to learners. We will continue to innovate and push boundaries so that we can provide the very best learning environment possible.”

Recent initiatives introduced by Novus at Low Newton included several schemes designed to improve reading ability and enjoyment, such as book challenges, ‘blind date with a book’, reading groups and the provision of ‘libraries in a basket’ in classrooms and on residential wings.

Novus, part of the LTE Group, is a UK social enterprise dedicated to improving lives and economic success through learning and skills. Novus provides education services for adults and young offenders at more than 50 sites across England and Wales.