HMP The Verne

Name of lead inspector: Jai Sharda, Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection dates: 30 August to 1 September 2022

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Address:

Verne Common Road Portland Dorset DT15 1EQ Monitoring visit: HMP The Verne, 30 August to 1 September 2022

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Context and focus of visit

The purpose of the visit is to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in rectifying the weaknesses identified at the most recent visit by Ofsted. This could be an inspection or a progress monitoring visit. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of the arrangements outlined in the ‘Handbook for inspecting education, skills and work activities in prisons and young offender institutions’ especially the section entitled ‘Monitoring visits’. The focus of this visit is on the themes set out below. Ofsted undertook this monitoring visit in its own right, without accompanying Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP).

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Insufficient progress

Leaders’ actions to ensure that the curriculum meets prisoners’ needs have not been effective. The number of purposeful activity places is too low and fails to meet the needs of the population. Unemployment rates are high, with far too many prisoners not allocated to any purposeful activity during the core day. Managers have recently carried out an appropriate curriculum needs analysis. They understand the limitations to the jobs that prisoners can apply for upon release, given their offending history. Despite this, managers do not offer provision in specific occupational areas such as forklift truck driving, plumbing, and plastering that prisoners have requested. Managers have introduced entry level functional skills qualifications for prisoners, but they do not offer a course in English for those prisoners for whom English is an additional language. As a result, these prisoners attend entry level functional skills in

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Insufficient progress

English, which fail to meet their specific English language needs. Prisoners working in the prison’s commercial workshops, as well as those in the kitchens and gardens, cannot access any accreditation to acknowledge and reward the skills and knowledge that they have gained. This acts as a disadvantage when applying for jobs in these roles after their release. Too much disruption continues to be caused on the frequent occasions there are insufficient officers on duty to accompany prisoners to activities. Prisoners complain of current routine and regular lockdowns that prevent them from leaving their accommodation block to attend scheduled activities. Monitoring visit: HMP The Verne, 30 August to 1 September 2022 Leaders and managers have not made any progress in relation to improving links with employers. There continues to be no opportunities for eligible prisoners to undertake work during release on temporary licence (ROTL).

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, over two years ago, leaders and managers have improved the ways in which they identify prisoners’ support and additional learning needs. They now assess prisoners carefully and much earlier, during prison induction, rather than when they start their education programmes. This enables staff to share prisoners’ requirements promptly with teachers and instructors.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers and instructors understand in detail the support needs of the prisoners that they work with. They rightly value the improved information that they receive which enables them to quickly develop teaching and learning strategies and resources to support these prisoners effectively.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have helped teachers to understand better and meet more effectively the additional learning needs of prisoners through useful and recent training sessions. For example, art and English teachers explained how they broke new information down into small segments to help prisoners with short concentration spans. In English, the teacher explained how she had used the information from leaders and managers about a prisoner who is colour-blind to ensure that the resources she was using in lessons were accessible and appropriate.

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Reasonable progress

Instructors have not yet received detailed training on supporting prisoners with additional needs, which limits the effectiveness of the strategies they take to support these prisoners in work. Teachers and instructors speak positively about the new resources that have been made available in all classrooms and workplaces, which give them useful tools to help prisoners improve their reading and handwriting.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers recognise the lack of specific guidance about education, training and work courses and careers advice for new prisoners during the pandemic. They appointed a new information, advice and guidance (IAG) adviser in October 2021 to strengthen the careers advice that prisoners receive on entry to the prison and on release. The education provider continues to offer the well-established and useful employability course for prisoners approaching their release date. Monitoring visit: HMP The Verne, 30 August to 1 September 2022 Almost all prisoners now meet with the IAG adviser shortly after arriving at the prison to discuss in detail their career plans on release and the courses they can study to support these plans. Prisoners find the information and advice sessions on entry to the prison very useful, enabling them to understand and plan carefully for possible career paths on release. The IAG adviser arranges meetings to support

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Reasonable progress

prisoners who arrived at the prison before she was appointed. However, a significant minority of these prisoners are on a waiting list and have yet to benefit from advice and guidance to support their career upon release.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers work closely with the careers service provider, to ensure that the advice and guidance that prisoners receive is up to date and relevant. Leaders frequently check the quality of advice, guidance, and careers information that the service provides to prisoners.

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Reasonable progress

The IAG adviser identifies and supports most prisoners close to release well, holding useful pre-release interviews to discuss topics such as CVs, bank accounts and identification documents. Leaders and managers have recently analysed the effectiveness of the curriculum in detail. They have clear plans in place to introduce courses that will better meet the needs of prisoners, but it is too early to assess the impact of this. Monitoring visit: HMP The Verne, 30 August to 1 September 2022 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council

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Reasonable progress

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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 .

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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