HMP Risley

Published date 12 March 2011 Inspection number 365552 Unique reference number: 52323

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Last day of inspection: 11 February 2011

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Type of establishment: Adult male category C

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Establishment contact:

Head of Learning and Skills HMP Risley Warrington Road Risley Warrington Cheshire WA3 6BP

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Establishment contact:

Tel: 01925 733001 Telephone number: 01925 733001 HMP Risley Summary report for the provision of learning and skills

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and Skills (Ofsted)

Ofsted works in partnership with Her Majesty’s Inspectorates of Prisons and inspects the management and provision of learning and skills for offenders across the whole range of custodial establishments and probation areas. Inspections may include those serving whole or part of their sentence in the community.

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and Skills (Ofsted)

Inspectors judge the quality of the provision against the key questions in the Common Inspection Framework 2009 and contribute to the inspection frameworks of Her Majesty’s Inspectorates of Prisons.

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and Skills (Ofsted)

These findings relating to the learning and skills provision will be published on the Ofsted website (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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and Skills (Ofsted)

The following text is Ofsted’s summary of the learning and skills contribution to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons’ findings. A copy of the HMI Prisons published inspection report can be found on www.justice.gov.uk/inspectorates/hmi- prisons/prison-and-yoi-inspections.htm

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Information about the prison

HMP Risley is located near Warrington in Cheshire. It is a category C training prison with an integrated vulnerable prisoner regime. The prison’s operational capacity is 1092 with a 12 month average length of stay. At the time of the inspection, the prison had 245 ‘Indeterminate Public Protection’ sentenced prisoners, 195 following conviction for sex offences and 460 main sentence prisoners. In addition, 161 prisoners were foreign nationals of whom around half require English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) support. Approximately 765 prisoners were involved in education, training or work.

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Information about the prison

The Manchester College provides the prison’s formal education provision through the Skills Funding Agency Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) contract. The college has 240 full-time equivalent learning places, which includes 72 vocational training places. Working Links provides the information, advice and guidance service. Jobcentre Plus, Connexions and the Citizens’ Advice Bureau provide advice and support for prisoners during the resettlement programme. The library manages activities to promote literacy within the prison that includes use of the Shannon Trust’s Toe-by-Toe scheme. Through its links with voluntary organisations, such as Theatre in Prisons, the prison provides prisoners with art related enrichment activities.

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learning and skills provision at HMP Risley

Grades: 1 is outstanding; 2 is good; 3 is satisfactory; 4 is inadequate

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Common Inspection Framework (CIF) aspects Grade

Overall effectiveness 2 Capacity to improve 2 Outcomes for learners 2 Quality of provision 2 Leadership and management 2

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

Achievements of qualifications are very good for most learners in education and vocational workshops. In workshops, achievements are satisfactory and high in Braille, PICTA and desktop publishing. Learners produce a good standard of work which is of a particularly high quality in arts and ceramics where learners who submit work for the Koestler awards are very successful. Learners show good skill development, increased confidence and improved life and interpersonal skills. Learners enjoy their learning and say they feel safe.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is at least satisfactory. However, too many workshops and education sessions do not start on time. In education sessions, the quality is often good with tutors effectively developing learners’ wider interpersonal skills. Peer and learning support effectively promote learners’ progress. Learners receive appropriate help to improve their Skills for Life outcomes. In work, employability skills are recorded well, and vocational workshops use reflective learning effectively. However, individual learning plans are not consistently effective in planning and monitoring the learning process. The range of curriculum is broad and enriched by occasional events provided by partners. The introduction of qualifications into some contract services workshops has proved highly effective. Learners receive appropriate information, advice and guidance. Arrangements for induction are satisfactory.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

Leadership and management of the provision are good. The learning and skills strategy is effective in supporting prisoner resettlement. HMP Risley satisfactorily promotes equality and diversity. However, vulnerable prisoners do not have equal access to all the education and training provision. Arrangements to safeguard learners are satisfactory. Allocation to activities is generally fair but some prisoners are directly recruited to wing activities rather than through agreed procedures. The full impact of quality assurance, in supporting improvement across all the provision, is not yet evident. Insufficient use is made of data to aid performance management.

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Capacity to Improve Grade 2

Since the previous inspection, the prison has communicated effectively a clear vision for learning and skills to support a consistent record of change to benefit learners. The prison’s learning and skills strategy effectively supports improvements in learners’ behaviour and resettlement through curriculum development. Outcomes for prisoners are good with very high achievement of qualifications across much of the provision. The range of education and vocational provision has significantly increased since the previous inspection. For example, ESOL provision has expanded to reflect the growing prison foreign national population. HMP Risley has introduced a range of enrichment opportunities. Leadership and management of the learning and skills provision focus well on improving outcomes for learners. However, the prison recognises that its use of data to set targets for all programmes is insufficient.

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Capacity to Improve Grade 2

The findings of the self-assessment process reflect those identified during inspection. The prison makes particularly effective use of self-assessment action planning to monitor and drive improvement across all the provision. Quality assurance arrangements are satisfactory though the prison has yet to embed them fully across all the provision. Adequate use is made of the views of users to inform decision- making. The prison has an appropriate management structure and staffing levels to carry through its improvement plans. Internal communication between delivery partners is effective in promoting positive working relationships. Staff are suitably qualified for their role, responsibilities, and access good staff development opportunities. Some of the prison’s accommodation and equipment are poor with insufficient availability of information learning technology to enhance learning. The number of purposeful activity places has increased since the previous inspection but

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Strengths

 good development and demonstration of relevant employability and practical skills in most vocational and prison workshops that result in the production of high quality work  very high achievement of qualifications on the majority of vocational courses  outstanding achievement for health and safety, cleaning, CSCS, fitted interiors and ITQ courses 1-3  very high achievement of qualifications and good standards of work in education  good focus on good health and safety practice during prison work.

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Areas for improvement

 some poor punctuality by learners attending vocational workshops and education that fails to promote good employability custom and practice.

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Strengths

 much good teaching and coaching in education sessions that interests learners effectively  good participation in learning activities within education sessions that effectively develop wider interpersonal skills  good recording, during work, of employability skills to assist progression  good learning support across the learning and skills provision  well managed and equipped vocational workshops  good recording and use of reflective learning to develop learners self-critical analysis and development in the vocational workshops  particularly effective introduction of qualifications in contract services workshops  broad and responsive education curriculum to reflect the prison’s changing needs.

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Areas for improvement

 ineffective use of individual learning plans to plan and monitor learners progress in education and workshops  some poor accommodation and equipment in education  insufficient availability of information learning technology to enrich learning in education  inadequate ventilation in the bricks and plastering workshop.

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Strengths

 clear and well communicated vision for learning and skills  good implementation of a learning and skills strategy that supports resettlement through curriculum development  good operational management of the education provision  good staff development to improve the quality of the learners’ experience.  particularly effective use of self-assessment action planning to monitor and drive improvement.

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Areas for improvement

 insufficiently established quality assurance arrangements for some learning and skills provision  insufficient use of data to set targets at the programme level to aid performance management  no access to vocational training in the ‘Create’, bicycles and workshop 7 for vulnerable prisoners.

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What does HMP Risley need to do to improve further?

 Work with prison staff to ensure that learners arrive promptly for their activities to promote good habits in timekeeping.

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What does HMP Risley need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that accreditation is available for all work areas to recognise skills and support the prison’s employability agenda.

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What does HMP Risley need to do to improve further?

 Review and develop the use of individual learning plans to make them personalised, user friendly and an effective performance-monitoring tool.

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What does HMP Risley need to do to improve further?

 Enhance the pace of refurbishment to ensure that all learning environments are fit for purpose and fully equipped for the subject area.

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What does HMP Risley need to do to improve further?

 Considerably extend the availability of information learning technology in general classrooms and ensure that staff have the skills to use it to enhance learning.

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What does HMP Risley need to do to improve further?

 Fully implement quality improvement processes across all learning and skills provision.

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What does HMP Risley need to do to improve further?

 Make full use of available data to set challenging programme management targets.

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What does HMP Risley need to do to improve further?

 Extend access to all vocational training for vulnerable prisoners.

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

Prison Name: HMP Risley Inspection No 52323

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

A. Outcomes for learners 2 A1. How well do learners achieve and enjoy their learning? 2 A1.a) How well do learners attain their learning goals? A1.b) How well do learners progress? A2. How well do learners improve their economic and social well-being through learning and development? A3. How safe do learners feel? 2 A4. Are learners able to make informed choices about their own health and well being?* Yes A5. How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community?* 3 B. Quality of provision 2

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

B1. How effectively do teaching, training and assessment support learning and development? 2

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

B2. How effectively does the provision meet the needs and interests of users? 2 B3. How well do partnerships with employers, community groups and others lead to benefits for learners?

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

B4. How effective are the care, guidance and support learners receive in helping them to achieve? 3

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

C. Leadership and management 2 C1. How effectively do leaders and managers raise expectations and promote ambition throughout the organisation? C2. How effectively do governors and supervisory bodies provide leadership, direction and challenge?* n/a

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

C3. How effectively does the prison promote the safeguarding of learners? 3 C4. How effectively does the prison actively promote equality and diversity, tackle discrimination and narrow the achievement gap? C5. How effectively does the prison engage with users to support and promote improvement? 3

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

C6. How effectively does self-assessment improve the quality of the provision and outcomes for learners? C7. How efficiently and effectively does the prison use its available resources to secure value for money? *if applicable to the type of prison Grades using the 4 point scale 1: Outstanding; 2: Good; 3: Satisfactory; 4: Inadequate Overall Approximate number of learners in training and work and education with or without qualification outcomes at the time of inspection Overall effectiveness 2 Capacity to improve 2 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann’s Square Manchester M2 7LA

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk No. 090105

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