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3. ACTIVITIES
Outcome
Prisoners take part in activities that educate, develop skills and personal qualities and prepare them for life outside prison
3.1 Partly met. Work, Vocational Training and Community Placements are all relevant to current labour market opportunities. However, the range of education courses available is limited and there are very few prisoners undertaking literacy programmes. Arrangements to engage prisoners with literacy and numeracy requirements are not sufficiently proactive.
Learning, Skills and Employability
3.2 The educational activities in the Links Centre are managed by the learning centre manager. Motherwell College holds the contract for delivering education. There is good access to facilities in Castle Huntly but prisoners can access only two sessions of education each week at Noranside. For many prisoners, access to education classes in both establishments, is not at times which are compatible with prisoners' other commitments on work parties or on placements, and there are no evening or weekend classes available. In Castle Huntly, only five prisoners accessed full-time education programmes and none in Noranside.
3.3 There are very few prisoners undertaking basic literacy programmes and apart from programmes in Information Technology ( IT), there is a limited range of provision for prisoners to choose from. For example, there are no art or music classes which could provide a creative outlet for prisoners and help support them develop their personal and social skills.
3.4 However, a wide range of work parties is available, and staff make provision for prisoners to access the work parties which interest them. These activities involve work in forestry, gardens, catering, cleaning, waste management, laundry, forklift operators, road works, pest control and passman duties. The garden centre at Noranside has now closed.
3.5 Approximately 40 prisoners access the gymnasiums on a daily basis. Some had entered the Dundee half marathon and the Forfar 10k run. Others had climbed Munros, including Ben Nevis, for charitable causes. Each year approximately 12 prisoners participate successfully in the Prince's Trust programme which focuses on leadership development.
Assessment of Need
3.6 The educational staff in the Links Centre use the ALERT tool with all prisoners at induction to identify literacy and numeracy needs. Prisoners with identified needs in literacy are then invited to be interviewed by the literacy tutor. The results from the diagnostic screening are placed on prisoners records.
3.7 Prisoners receive a short induction on the educational range of provision but most prisoners do not take up the opportunities available, focusing instead on the vocational training ( VT) opportunities, work parties and placements. Education staff complained of having limited access to accommodation areas to speak to prisoners and promote education courses. The range of materials placed on notice boards is very limited and dated.
3.8 Arrangements to engage prisoners with literacy and numeracy requirements are not sufficiently proactive. Education staff do not inform their colleagues delivering vocational training of prisoner literacy and numeracy requirements or what types of support would be necessary.
3.9 Only five prisoners were participating in literacy programmes at the time of the inspection. However, Information Technology ( IT) programmes are popular and offer prisoners good opportunities to develop an appropriate range of IT skills.
3.10 A comprehensive programme of induction is in place for prisoners wishing to utilise the gymnasiums. There are plans in place to establish learning targets for prisoners using the gym facilities.
Delivery of Learning
3.11 Prisoners attending the Links Centre courses receive high levels of support and this was particularly evident in IT classes. Individual Learning Plans are in place but they do not have sufficiently specific targets for prisoner learning.
3.12 There are good opportunities for prisoners to develop vocational skills and gain qualifications in plumbing, groundwork, forestry, cleaning, forklift operation, laundry services and horticulture. An innovative programme called Streetworks, at SVQ level 2, provides relevant training for employees digging up roads and helps to prepare prisoners for realistic job opportunities on release.
3.13 Although resources are in place to deliver SVQ cookery courses, due to a shortage of instructors in the kitchens, prisoners could not engage in these courses.
3.14 There were approximately 150 work placements in operation at the time of the inspection. Prisoners had been given relevant and appropriate placements according to their prior experience, qualifications and aspirations. Placement providers are visited regularly and are encouraged to complete questionnaires on prisoners, commenting on the development of a range of skills. These placements provide very good opportunities for prisoners to develop vocational skills in a realistic environment and extend their interpersonal skills.
Prisoners' Learning Experiences
3.15 There has been a significant reduction in the number of prisoner learning hours delivered by the education unit. Although prisoners value their experiences and felt they were making good progress, some would like to have a greater range of courses available.
3.16 Prisoners attending work placements and engaged in workshop activities felt they were gaining qualifications and valuable experiences which would assist them in getting employment when they were released.
Achievement
3.17 There is a high level of attainment on vocational programmes and almost all prisoners gain their awards. In the education unit, prisoners were gaining awards and units in IT, but no prisoner had gained certification in literacy in the past three years.
3.18 In Noranside, approximately 30 prisoners benefit from a week long Personal and Social Development ( PSD) course each year. This course is practical in nature and helps prisoners develop social and personal skills which will support them upon release.
3.19 Staff from the physical education unit at Noranside arrange weekly offsite outdoor education activities for prisoners including mountain biking, beach walks to pick-up litter and charity event fundraising. Similar events had been running at Castle Huntly but were stopped due to long-term staffing difficulties and a perceived increase in the risk of absconding.
Ethos and Values
3.20 Relationships between staff and prisoners are positive and contribute well to ensure a positive learning environment. The relationships between physical education staff at both sites are particularly positive. However, communication between staff delivering education and vocation programmes is often ineffective. There is little sharing of information on prisoners' literacy and numeracy requirements and therefore no coordination of activities.
3.21 Tutors in education believe their programmes are not given the same priority for prisoner time and resources as programmes operated by SPS staff.
Staffing and Resources
3.22 The manager of the education unit is supported by a team of well-qualified tutors. Two Inclusion and Activities Managers in Castle Huntly and Noranside are responsible for the VT workshops, work parties and placements on both sites. Learning, skills and employability ( LSE) provision within the prison is delivered by SPS and Motherwell College staff who are well-qualified and experienced to deliver the programme of activity.
3.23 However, where there are instances of uniformed staff absence, this often leads to work parties at Castle Huntly being suspended.
3.24 Accommodation in the Links Centres is good. There are sufficient classrooms equipped with up-to-date computers and ICT equipment. The vocational workshops are well-equipped and provide a realistic working environment. Prisoners were very happy with the quality of provision. Staff were well-prepared and had good resources for the delivery of the courses. An Independent Living Unit helps to prepare prisoners for release by developing a range of skills necessary for reintegration into their communities.
3.25 There are no library facilities at Castle Huntly. At Noranside, a library had recently been created but space and book stock is limited and it had not been made available to prisoners at the time of the inspection. It is recommended that good library facilities are available in both Castle Huntly and Noranside.
Quality Assurance
3.26 Discussions between staff and internal verification procedures are the main mechanisms for improvement and had led to good improvements in the level of service to the learners. However, quality assurance and improvement strategies are informal and staff do not deploy systematic processes to plan for improvements. Prisoners had undertaken evaluations of programmes on their completion of the course, but have no formal input to discussions on improvement.
3.27 Placement providers have been asked to complete evaluation forms on prisoners working for them and are visited on a regular basis to ensure the smooth running of the placement.
Conclusions
3.28 Staff on both sites are committed to ensuring prisoners receive relevant training which meets their needs and develops skills to help prepare them for release. The work parties, VT training and placements are relevant to current labour market opportunities.
3.29 However, in most cases, prisoners on work parties and placements do not have access to education programmes. There are no programmes offered at times to suit prisoners who participate in these activities, such as at weekends or evenings. There is no coordination of activities in the VT workshops with relevant courses in education. In addition, apart from IT, the range of courses available in education is limited.
3.30 Significantly, there are very few prisoners undertaking literacy programmes, and arrangements to engage prisoners with literacy and numeracy requirements are not sufficiently proactive.
3.31 The lack of prison library facilities discourages prisoners to develop their literacy skills and the stock of books does not take account of prisoner need.
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