HMP Peterborough - Men

Published date 17 June 2011 Inspection number 367958 Unique reference number: 52320

p.1

Type of establishment:

Female closed prison and young offenders’ institution

p.1

Establishment contact:

Head of Learning and Skills HMP Peterborough Saville Road Peterborough PE3 7PD Telephone number: 01733 217500 HMP Peterborough: female estate

p.1

and Skills (Ofsted)

Ofsted works in partnership with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and inspects the management and provision of learning and skills for offenders across the full range of custodial establishments and probation areas.

p.3

and Skills (Ofsted)

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

p.3

and Skills (Ofsted)

The following text is Ofsted’s summary of the learning and skills contribution to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons’ findings. This Ofsted summary report for learning and skills provision will be published on the Ofsted website ( www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

p.3

and Skills (Ofsted)

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons inspection reports can be found on http://www.justice.gov.uk/inspectorates/hmi-prisons/prison-and-yoi-inspections.htm

p.3

Information about the prison

HMP & YOI Peterborough is located on the outskirts of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire and is the only prison in England and Wales holding both men and women, although they do not mix. It opened on 28 March 2005 and the current Director started in October 2010. The prison is managed by Sodexho Justice Services (formerly Kalyx) and is operated on a 25 year DCMF (design, construct, manage and finance) contract. All staff are employed by Sodexho including the acting head of learning and skills. While most education staff work across both prison estates, all other learning and skills staff work predominately in one of them. Many external partners, including New College Stamford and Learndirect support the resettlement pre-release provision and other groups visit to provide enrichment learning activities.

p.3

Information about the prison

The female estate provides a mother and baby unit and comprises a closed prison for remand and sentenced women prisoners, a designated young offenders’ institution and a first stage lifer prison. It is nearing its over-crowding operational capacity of 396, with 324 adult women and 31 young women. Their age range is from 18 to 62 years. Some 23% are remand/ unsentenced prisoners, 16% are foreign nationals and 76% are White British. The average length of stay is 11 weeks, but this includes women who stay for a few days to those who stay for a few years.

p.3

Information about the prison

The female estate’s catchment area is the east of England, covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, serving courts in nine counties.

p.3

female estate

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

p.4

Common Inspection Framework (CIF) aspects Grade

Overall effectiveness 3 Capacity to improve 3 Outcomes for learners 3 Quality of provision 3 Leadership and management 3

p.4

Overall effectiveness Grade 3

Learners who complete accredited courses mostly achieve their qualifications, except in information technology where achievement is low. In accredited and non- accredited provision they develop good practical skills; those with prior qualifications in beauty therapy maintain their skills well by providing treatments to their peers. However, in non-accredited activities new knowledge and skills are not routinely recognised and recorded. In the non-accredited eco-art sessions learners produce innovative and highly creative work using recycled materials, including work for local community groups and employers. The education, teaching and learning sessions are mostly good. Education sessions are well supported by prisoners working as learning assistants, but accreditation for their skills is not offered. A regular programme of taster weeks enables prisoners to experience classroom and some vocational activities, often engaging those who have been reluctant to participate previously.

p.4

Overall effectiveness Grade 3

The taster sessions support effective promotion of social and learning skills by using stimulating learning strategies and materials. A very good range of pre-release courses is offered in the prison’s resettlement centre, in conjunction with external partners including voluntary groups and New College Stamford. However, the range of accredited provision is narrow at level 1 with too little above that level. The assessment of prisoners’ literacy, numeracy and language needs at induction is satisfactory but support for prisoners with additional learning needs is underdeveloped. Provision to develop women’s literacy, numeracy and language skills by education staff visiting workshops was not offered. The library facilities, based in the education department, offer a range of activities, but its opening hours and support for independent learning are insufficient.

p.4

Overall effectiveness Grade 3

The prison’s 2009-12 learning and skills strategic plan has clear objectives, which are routinely monitored by the quality improvement group. The introduction of electronic kiosks as resource points around the prison is highly effective and encourages prisoners to find out information for themselves, providing useful learning and skills for resettlement. Equal opportunities are promoted satisfactorily and includes work by the chaplaincy team who provide effective pastoral support. Safeguarding arrangements are satisfactory.

p.4

Capacity to improve Grade 3

The increase in activity places since the 2008 inspection, provides enough places for around 80% of the prison population and sufficient for their complex needs. There is some increase in the range of accredited provision, such as cookery, hairdressing and beauty therapy including nail-treatment awards. The prisoners’ needs analysis survey, completed in late 2010, is yet to be analysed to inform developments. However, a craft skills workshop is due to open imminently in response to prisoners’ feedback. This resource has been developed in conjunction with a national construction company. Effective team work across the prison, identified in 2008 has been maintained; education staffing is more stable and the quality of teaching is improved.

p.5

Capacity to improve Grade 3

The learning and skills strategic plan is clear, but is written for the whole prison. It places insufficiently specific focus on all women’s needs, including young women and prisoners serving life sentences. Insufficient use of data and information, to evaluate progress and inform decisions and developments, remains an area for improvement. The self-assessment report is too generic for the whole prison and is no longer informed by an inclusive self-assessment process. However, it usefully records progress against action points separately. Inspectors agreed with some judgments but found others to be aspirational. They found additional areas for improvement not identified in the self-assessment report and slow progress in resolving other areas which remain from the previous inspection.

p.5

Strengths

 good achievement for learners who stay to the end of their accredited courses  good development of practical skills  innovative and exciting creative art work that enables learners to contribute to the community  good use of education and some vocational training taster courses to promote social and learning skills.

p.5

Areas for improvement

 low completion rates on accredited courses  underdeveloped arrangements for effective and relevant recognition and recording of non-accredited skills to improve self-esteem and support resettlement  inadequate development of literacy and numeracy skills in the work places.

p.5

Strengths

 much good teaching and learning in education  highly effective use of prisoners’ prior skills enabling qualified beauty therapists to provide treatments for their peers while maintaining their skills for future employment  good support for learning provided by prisoners working as support assistants  very good range of pre-release provision.

p.6

Areas for improvement

 insufficient provision above level 1 for learners with higher ability and/or for progression for those staying longer periods at the prison  underdeveloped library facilities to support independent learning  underdeveloped support for learners with additional learning needs and/ or disabilities.

p.6

Strengths

 sustained and effective team work across the prison promoting the sharing of good practice  highly effective electronic kiosks as resource points to support communication and information exchange with prisoners  systematic monitoring of strategic objectives by the quality improvement group.

p.6

Areas for improvement

 insufficient management focus in planning the provision to ensure the full range of prisoners’ learning needs are met  insufficient use of data and information to inform decisions and developments  slow progress in resolving some areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

p.6

improve further?

 Increase the number of learners successfully completing accredited courses, by investigating reasons for non-completion and achievement and taking action to tackle the root causes.

p.7

improve further?

 Introduce ways to recognise and record women’s knowledge and skills development to enhance their self-esteem, enable them to value their skills, and to provide evidence of learning for resettlement in employment, community work and in the home.

p.7

improve further?

 Review the accredited learning and skills provision based on analysis of prisoners’ needs. Introduce more level 2 programmes that are appropriate to prisoners’ length of stay, abilities and interests and to provide appropriate progression opportunities for longer-serving prisoners.

p.7

improve further?

 Provide work-based literacy, numeracy and language support for prisoners assessed as below level 2 to improve their skills to use within their family, community and for finding employment on release.

p.7

improve further?

 Assess and implement support for prisoners with additional learning support needs to enable them to participate more fully in learning, improve their skills and reduce their potential for reoffending.

p.7

improve further?

 Review strategic plans to ensure appropriate objectives are included to better meet the learning needs of all groups of women to improve support in their progress towards reducing reoffending.

p.7

improve further?

 Improve the self-assessment process to ensure it systematically includes feedback from prisoners, staff and external partners and focuses separately on women prisoners in its evaluation and subsequent action planning for improvements. Record of Main Findings (RMF) – Young adult and adult prisons

p.7

improve further?

Prison Name: HMP Peterborough: female estate Inspection No 367958

p.8

improve further?

A. Outcomes for learners 3 A1. How well do learners achieve and enjoy their learning? 3 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? 3 A4. Are learners able to make informed choices about their own health and well being?* 3 A5. How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community?* 3 B. Quality of provision 3

p.8

improve further?

B1. How effectively do teaching, training and assessment support learning and development? 3 B2. How effectively does the provision meet the needs and interests of users? 4 B3. How well do partnerships with employers, community groups and others lead to benefits for learners?

p.8

improve further?

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

p.8

improve further?

C. Leadership and management 3 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?* 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

p.8

improve further?

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 p/t & f/t learners in training and work and education with or without qualification outcomes at the time of inspection Overall effectiveness 3 Capacity to improve 3 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

p.8

improve further?

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

p.9

improve further?

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9