HMYOI Castington

Inspection date 23 January 2009 HMYOI Castington Inspection number 330130

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Contents

Background information ............................................................................................................... 3

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Contents

Inspection judgements ....................................................................................................................... 3

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Contents

Scope of the inspection ...................................................................................................................... 3

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Contents

Description of the provider ........................................................................................................... 5

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Contents

Summary of grades awarded ........................................................................................................ 6

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Contents

Overall judgement ........................................................................................................................ 7

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Contents

Effectiveness of provision .................................................................................................................. 7

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Contents

Capacity to improve ........................................................................................................................ 8

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Key strengths ............................................................................................................................... 9

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Contents

Key areas for improvement .......................................................................................................... 9

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Contents

Main findings ............................................................................................................................. 10

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Employability training ...................................................................................................................... 10

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Achievement and standards .......................................................................................................... 10

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Quality of provision ....................................................................................................................... 11

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL ........................................................................................................... 12

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Achievement and standards .......................................................................................................... 12

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Quality of provision ....................................................................................................................... 13

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Personal development and social integration ................................................................................. 14

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Achievement and standards .......................................................................................................... 14

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Quality of provision ....................................................................................................................... 14

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Leadership and management........................................................................................................... 16

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Equality of opportunity ................................................................................................................. 16

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What learners like ...................................................................................................................... 19

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What learners think could improve ............................................................................................. 19

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Inspection judgements

Inspectors use a four-point scale to summarise their judgements about achievement and standards, the quality of provision, and leadership and management, which includes a grade for equality of opportunity .

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Key for inspection grades

Further information can be found on how inspection judgements are made on www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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Scope of the inspection

In deciding the scope of the inspection, inspectors take account of the provider’s most recent self- assessment report and development plans, and comments from the local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) or other funding body. Where appropriate, inspectors also consider the previous inspection report ( www.ofsted.gov.uk ), reports from the inspectorates’ monitoring visits, and data on learners and their achievements over the period since the previous inspection.

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Scope of the inspection

In addition to reporting on overall effectiveness of the organisation, its capacity to improve further, achievement and standards, quality of provision and leadership and management, this inspection focused on specialist provision in:

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Scope of the inspection

Preparation for life and work programmes:

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Scope of the inspection

- Literacy, numeracy and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) - Personal development and social integration.

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Description of the provider

1. HMP and YOI Castington is a juvenile and young offender closed custodial establishment 25 miles north of Newcastle in Northumberland. It currently accommodates 115 sentenced and 17 unsentenced 15 to 17 year old juveniles, 122 sentenced and 80 unsentenced 18 to 21 year old young offenders. Most are from Newcastle, and Tyne and Wear and 7% of the population is from a minority ethnic background. The average length of stay is six months.

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Description of the provider

2. The education and most of the vocational training provision are subcontracted to Newcastle College, and the library service to Northumberland County Council. Newcastle College also holds the contract for information, advice and guidance although Connexions provide an education and employment advice service for young people and are based in the prison. The education department provides full-time and part-time programmes in a wide range of subjects. Offenders can do vocational training for work in catering, industrial cleaning, construction trades, painting and decorating, motor vehicle maintenance, horticulture, information technology (IT) and physical education (PE). The prison runs courses in PE, horticulture, main kitchens and chaplaincy, Newcastle College runs the rest.

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Summary of grades awarded

Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

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Summary of grades awarded

Employability training Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Summary of grades awarded

Literacy, numeracy and ESOL Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Summary of grades awarded

Personal development and social integration Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Summary of grades awarded

Employability training Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Summary of grades awarded

Literacy, numeracy and ESOL Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Summary of grades awarded

Personal development and social integration Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Summary of grades awarded

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Good: Grade 2

3. The overall effectiveness of the provision is good. Achievement and standards and the quality of provision in employability training, literacy, numeracy, ESOL and in personal development and social integration are good. Leadership, management of the provision and equality of opportunity are also good.

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Good: Grade 2

4. The prison has demonstrated that it is in a good position to make improvements. Quality monitoring and improvement strategies are in place and working effectively. Good partnership arrangements between prison staff and the education provider are leading to well organised and effectively delivered programmes for learners. There is a clear focus on the improvement of prisoners’ literacy and numeracy skills to enable them to move on to offending behaviour programmes and accredited vocational training programmes. Achievement in a wide range of qualifications is good and success rates on all programmes are high. High standards of work and good acquisition of important work skills are achieved on the vocational programmes that take place in spacious and well equipped workshops. Information, advice and guidance support workers work closely with learners throughout their stay to assess and plan their learning needs.

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Good: Grade 2

They regularly monitor their progress and initiate changes as required. Information, advice and guidance forms an important and effective link between sentence planning, education, vocational training and the prisons which learners transfer to, ensuring that records about training, assessment and achievement are sent on.

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Good: Grade 2

5. The self-assessment process is good. It is well established across all the learning and skills areas and leads to improvements taking place. The report is self-critical and clearly identifies strengths and areas for improvement. The process is inclusive and involves all areas of the prison. It takes account of learners’ views collected through course satisfaction questionnaires. The report is reviewed throughout the year and action planning for improvement is thorough through the use of colour prioritised coded actions that clearly highlight where improvement is needed. The quality improvement group plays a significant role in developing and improving the learning and skills provision and monitoring the self-assessment action plan. The report identifies most of the strengths and areas for improvement identified by inspectors.

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Key strengths

 Particularly good integration of literacy and numeracy across the prison

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Key strengths

 Particularly effective information, advice and guidance

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Key strengths

 Good promotion of equality and diversity

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Key areas for improvement

 Some poor recording in individual learning plans

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Key areas for improvement

 Insufficient sharing of vocational facilities

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Key areas for improvement

 Poor state of gymnasium roof impacts on PE

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Key areas for improvement

 Insufficient activity hours for population needs max

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Employability training

Achievement and standards Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Employability training

6. Achievement and standards are good for those learners who complete their programme. Achievement on short programmes such as PE, safety, food hygiene and some computer programmes is very high. A high number of learners fail to fully complete some of the longer duration programmes mainly due to them being transferred to other prisons without any notice. Over 90% of those completing their course are successful in gaining their intended qualification.

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Employability training

7. The standard of learners’ work is very good. Learners practice work related skills through practical work carried out in well equipped vocational training workshops. They quickly acquire important work skills because well qualified and competent instructors teach well planned and structured programmes. Vocational programmes provide learners with good opportunities to apply for work when released and when preparing for release. They can go onto higher level programmes or to start their own business. There is good emphasis given for learners to adopt safe practices and a healthy lifestyle. Lesson plans are mapped to the Every Child Matters themes and this enables tutors to emphasise the importance of being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic wellbeing.

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Employability training

Quality of provision Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Employability training

8. The quality of employability training is good. Vocational training is available in catering, industrial cleaning, construction trades, painting and decorating, motor vehicle maintenance, horticulture, information technology and PE. Teaching and learning are good with well planned lessons that actively involve learners throughout the session and provide appropriate challenge. Training sessions clearly state objectives and learning outcomes and learners are set appropriate targets to achieve. The standard of learners’ work is good and they generally take pride in their work and achievements. Learners’ progress is well monitored and progress reviews are used effectively to assess progress against targets. There is some poor recording of progress. All programmes use individual learning plans to plan and monitor learning. Individual learning plans are well used on most programmes although the level of completion is inconsistent across the various

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Employability training

programmes. Learners sign a learning compact agreement that specifies expected behaviour levels and also what they can expect from the course and from tutors. Levels of behaviour are generally good although some learners have difficulty in controlling their tempers and can also display quite boisterous and sometimes aggressive behaviour. Tutors deal with these issues well and they are skilled at calming difficult situations. Resources are good. Most classrooms are equipped with electronic whiteboards that are used to good effect to stimulate and maintain learners’ interest. Additional support for learners is good. Support with literacy, numeracy and language skills are carried out in purpose built classrooms inside the vocational workshops by specialist tutors who liaise and work well with vocational instructors. The additional support is well integrated and contextualised into the practical aspects of programmes and provides

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Employability training

relevant topics to support learners’ attainment of basic skills. Information, advice and guidance workers also provide good support for learners through regular and frequent contact to check their progress against sentence or learning plans. They link well with other departments and provide information and update records to ensure learners’ progress is as expected. These are sent to prisons when learners are transferred so that they can continue their studies. 9. The range of programmes available meets the needs of learners and provides them with important skills and knowledge that can help them to achieve their aspirations and improve their future job prospects. Learners enjoy their programmes and value the opportunity to learn important skills and gain knowledge to help them to achieve. However, some vocational training workshops are not accessible to all learners. Only the juvenile population can use the motor

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Employability training

vehicle and painting and decorating workshops and so young offenders are deprived of gaining useful work related training and qualifications. Young offenders and not the juveniles currently use the construction workshops, again depriving a section of learners.

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Employability training

10. Support and guidance for learners are good. Specialist, information advice and guidance tutors support learners well. They promote learners’ personal development and monitor their progress well. The quality and accessibility of information, advice and guidance are good and help to ensure that learners achieve their potential and make good progress.

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

Achievement and standards Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

11. Levels of achievement for learners completing programmes are very high. In 2007/08 the overall achievement rate for literacy, numeracy, English and mathematics GCSE programmes was 93.5%. ESOL programmes are not accredited, but learners make good gains in communication skills.

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

12. The proportion of learners completing programmes is low. Of those starting programmes only 27.9% are retained. Offenders are frequently released and transferred from the prison before they complete learning programmes. During 2007/08, 1032 of 1604 learners left programmes early for prison requirements. For learners able to complete programmes 91.6% did so.

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

13. Generally attendance is satisfactory, with average attendance over 80%. Learners respond well to set tasks in class and they are keen to learn and engage in class activities. Behaviour is generally good and mutual respect between tutors and learners is well established. Learners demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of topics and contribute well to group discussions. Many learners achieve for the first time and gain more confidence and self-esteem. They also become motivated to progress to higher level learning. Quality of provision Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

14. Teaching and learning are good. Tutors prepare for and manage sessions well. Session plans identify clearly the learning objectives and care is taken to ensure that activities meet the needs of all learners. Tutors introduce a variety of activities which are successful in engaging learners’ interest as well as giving them full opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. The use of role-play and simulating real work experiences are particularly effective in reinforcing learners’ understanding. Resources are good and fully support teaching. Learning materials are of good quality, although resources for ESOL do not provide adequately for all learners. Considerable investment has been made in information and learning technology and widespread and effective use of interactive boards was observed. Staff are well qualified and they work together well as a team and strongly support the learners. Effective partnerships between

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

vocational tutors and Skills for Life tutors is providing strong instruction combining thorough reinforcement of vocational knowledge and understanding through the delivery of literacy and numeracy support.

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

15. Prison managers have achieved particularly good integration of literacy and numeracy support across the prison. Many learners respond well to improving their Skills for Life within their vocational and work areas. Learning is contextualised to the requirements of the vocational programme and learners receive good support in completing work to satisfy vocational course requirements. Literacy and numeracy support has been introduced into most areas of the prisons, including the training workshops, kitchens, laundry, gardens, although not the gymnasium. Learners in healthcare and the separation and care unit requiring learning support are visited regularly.

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

16. Arrangements to provide additional learning support are very good. The prison has invested in providing dedicated and appropriately qualified tutors and learning support assistants. They provide intensive individual support to learners, otherwise unlikely to access education, in some instances because of security reasons. In many cases tutors improve learners’ personal effectiveness while providing them with essential functional literacy and numeracy skills supporting wider learning. Good quality additional learning support is provided to individuals in discrete sessions across the prison and during group sessions in classrooms adjacent to work and training areas. Tutors and learning support assistants are dedicated and use their skills well to gain the confidence of the offenders and raise their self-esteem. Support staff are particularly effective in helping learners to gain social and personal skills and overcome personal barriers to

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

learning and progress. Many offenders improve their reading skills through a successful ‘Toe by Toe’ scheme. Arrangements for initial and diagnostic testing are well established and effective. Staff work well with individual learners to identify learning needs, including difficulties related to dyslexia and mental health problems.

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Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

17. Much development work has been completed to standardise the design and completion of individual learning plans. In some cases, however, superficial and incomplete recording in these forms persists. Records in individual learning plans refer frequently only to completion of specific elements of the learning programme, especially for learners following vocational programmes. Reference to targets and progress in literacy and numeracy are often absent. Good setting of personal goals for learners and the recording in individual learning plans of their progress towards these is seen infrequently. In cases where many of the learners leave the prison before completion of their learning programmes, details of the gains they have made are lost.

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Personal development and social integration

Achievement and standards Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Personal development and social integration

18. Achievement rates are high and improving year-on-year. Taking account of those learners who leave the prison early, for example due to being transferred, the prison has an achievement rate in 2007/08 of 69% with a further 24% still in training who could still achieve. Of the learners who had completed 96% had achieved. Learners are demonstrating good attainment in the development of their softer skills. Learners have improved their assertiveness, confidence, interpersonal skills and ability to work with others. Attendance and punctuality are satisfactory.

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Personal development and social integration

19. The number of early leavers due to prison requirements is high. Castington functions as a remand and allocating prison, but also retains long sentenced young offenders. Sixty-nine per cent of the learners leave early and there has been little analysis to date, of the breakdown of reasons for early leavers.

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Personal development and social integration

Quality of provision Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Personal development and social integration

20. Teaching and learning are good. The identification of personal and social development needs is good. These needs are identified at information, advice and guidance, sentence planning and by tutors and other prison staff as the learner is doing his sentence. Softer, non-accredited, skills are well developed. Personal development and social integration are well established into other programmes. Each learner has additional soft skills development identified on a separate individual learning plan. Much of this information is valuable in identifying the differing learning needs of the learners. Learners demonstrate good achievement. Expected standards of behaviour are well set. Staff are well qualified. The quality of the sessions is good and teachers benefit from thorough lesson observations by managers. The observations are well moderated, both internally and by external consultants. Good use is made of the library to support personal

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Personal development and social integration

and social development. The library also runs ‘storybook dads’ that encourages learners with young children to read stories that are recorded and sent home to the children.

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Personal development and social integration

21. The range of personal development and social integration activities are satisfactory. Personal development and social integration are well coordinated to ensure that the interventions are appropriate for the prisoners. Good use is made of inputs from information advice and guidance, sentence planning, tutors and prison staff.

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Personal development and social integration

22. Learner support is particularly good. The prison induction is very thorough and takes place in a well resourced and comfortable induction suite. Good use is made of DVDs and computer graphics to make the presentations as colourful and memorable as possible. The sessions are very interactive, giving good information and much encouragement to take every advantage of the learning and skills on offer. The expected standards of behaviour are well set out and enforced.

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Personal development and social integration

23. Much good work is put in to lessons to ensure that the learning needs of individuals are developed. Good use is made of external agencies such as the Princes Trust and Newbridge to ensure that the learners’ experience is as rich as possible. Support for family issues is particularly effective, dealing with difficult issues in the prison and outside. There are good programmes and excellent support in parenting issues. The safer custody department gives excellent support on family issues, benefits, social problems, self-harm and safeguarding. They have a well qualified and experienced social worker, who ensures that the quality of support from external agencies is of a high standard. They actively promote and monitor Every Child Matters , working closely with learning and skills. Every Child Matters is well incorporated into the lesson plans. Good use is made of prisoners as peer mentors, although the appropriate accredited training for them has

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Personal development and social integration

only just begun. Learning support assistants are very well used to support those learners with learning and social needs. They are effective in helping maintain a positive atmosphere in the classrooms. Diversity is regularly promoted in the lessons and supported by the safer custody team. Learners’ achievement and correct behaviour is well celebrated at awards’ evenings. Families are invited to a very positive event that takes place in a very welcoming and comfortable visitors’ centre.

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Personal development and social integration

24. The support from chaplaincy is very strong. They see one of their main aims as trying to get the prisoners to engage in any activity that will help to develop them and reduce the likelihood of re- offending. They organise films and then follow them up with discussion groups. Motivational speakers, who appeal to the prisoners, are brought in to inspire them. This has included, power lifters, boxers, footballers and rap artists.

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Personal development and social integration

25. The recording of learners’ progress is poor. Targets identified in individual learning plans are not often used in reviews. Target-setting at reviews is weak. The monitoring of learners’ progress on the individual learning plan is satisfactory. However, there is little recording of any discussion that may have taken place at the review as to how well they are progressing.

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Good: Grade 2

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Good: Grade 2

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Good: Grade 2

26. Leadership and management of learning and skills at Castington are good. Senior managers at the prison have a strong commitment to learning and skills and work hard together with managers at Newcastle College to make education and training a priority at the prison. The strategy and direction for learning and skills is clear and well communicated. Performance is very effectively monitored through regular and frequent performance meetings to check and improve achievement levels. A Skills for Life strategy is in place and this provides a clear direction for literacy, numeracy and language skills at the prison.

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Good: Grade 2

27. Comprehensive lesson observations, course evaluations, learner feedback surveys, quality improvement group meetings and performance monitoring meetings are systematically checked in order to improve the quality of the programmes provided. The self-assessment process accurately identifies strengths and areas for improvement and the resulting action plans bring about further improvements.

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Good: Grade 2

28. Staff are suitably qualified and experienced and skilfully pass on their knowledge to learners who have previously had negative experiences of education and training. Learning sessions are well planned and motivate learners to achieve. Staff working for the college have good training and support from managers and can draw on the expertise and facilities that a large college can provide. Prison instructors are very experienced and are well supported by prison managers through effective staff development and appraisal systems. 29. Good partnership working arrangements exist between prison staff and the subcontracted college education provider. Managers meet regularly to discuss and improve performance and work together to share best practice and maximise learners’ attendance on programmes and the available resources. College managers work hard to make sure that programmes run as planned and that staff absences are appropriately covered to provide continuity of learning. Good

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Good: Grade 2

partnership arrangements exist with others involved in the education and training of learners. Close and effective links have been made with Connexions, resettlement, health care, employers and others to provide learners with clear progression opportunities.

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Good: Grade 2

30. Nearly all out of cell activity time is achieved by allocating offenders to learning and skills programmes. However, there are insufficient contracted learning and skills hours available to meet the full needs of the prison population. Programmes are offered on a full-time and part- time basis to try to give as many young people as possible the opportunity to gain new skills and qualifications. Programmes are allocated effectively and quickly to those with the greatest needs. However, up to 40% of young offenders may still be locked in their cells at any time of the day.

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Good: Grade 2

31. The collection and analysis of achievement and performance data is well used to provide managers with up-to-date information about programmes and about the progress of individual groups of learners. Data are effectively used to identify underperformance and managers act on the information to bring about improvements. However, although performance and attendance is analysed well, little analysis of early leavers and the reasons for leaving has been carried out.

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Good: Grade 2

32. Learning and skills supports the prison services pathways to reduce re-offending well. Information, advice and guidance support workers work well with other agencies to ensure that learners progress well against their learning or sentence plans and provide very effective support for learners to help them to achieve.

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Good: Grade 2

33. The prison gymnasium roof leaks when it rains and training sessions in the gymnasium have to be re-scheduled.

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Good: Grade 2

34. Equality of opportunity is good. Great importance is placed on maintaining harmonious race relations and providing a healthy and safe environment for all offenders. Learning and skills staff and learners display mutual respect and prison regimes are strongly intolerant of discrimination and harassment. The Race Equality Action team (REAT), with cross-prison and external partner representation, closely monitors performance against set objectives. A young person’s REAT team, comprising of the race equality officer, two young offenders and five juveniles, meets monthly to discuss racial and diversity issues and reports to the main REAT team. 35. The collection and use of equality and diversity data is routine and performance monitoring is robust. Performance is recorded in quarterly race equality reports and findings are used to revise the action plan. The annual impact assessment programme is well planned to include this year’s

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Good: Grade 2

assessments for diversity, anti-bullying procedures, grievance policy and disability discrimination.

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Good: Grade 2

36. Prison managers have implemented good arrangements for promoting equality and diversity. Promotion of equality and diversity to offenders is effective and achieved through planned and varied actions which include enrichment activities in personal and social development programmes. Offenders electing to participate in the prison service initiative ‘black history month’ created an exhibition dedicated to ‘inspirational adults’, to include famous figures contributing to racial equality. The widespread display of posters providing information on equality and diversity issues and advertising the prison’s intolerance of bullying and racial discrimination is a feature of the prison.

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Good: Grade 2

37. Staff training for equality and diversity and Every Child Matters and safeguarding issues is systematic and effective. For example, 16 of 20 members of the REAT team have completed managing and promoting race equality training. The Prison Service’s ‘Challenge It, Change It’ staff training programme is being delivered across the prison and is successfully raising awareness of inappropriate behaviour.

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Good: Grade 2

38. Strategies to improve access to learning across the prison have widened participation, although not all programmes are available to young offenders, for example, motor vehicle servicing and painting and decorating. The procedures for safeguarding learners comply with current government requirements. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Good: Grade 2

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 The good opportunities to get work qualifications

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 The good instructors that treat you really well

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 Doing literacy is okay because it’s part of the bricks course

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 I’ve been given extra help because I never achieved anything at schoo’

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 Teachers try to help you and do their best for you

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 There’s not enough to do at the weekends

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 The officers aren’t as helpful as the tutors are

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