HMP Lincoln

Name of lead inspector: Allan Shaw, Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection dates: 30 August to 1 September 2022

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Type of provider: Adult prison and young offender institution

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Address:

Greetwell Road Lincoln LN2 4BD Monitoring visit: HMP/YOI Lincoln, 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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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, over two years ago, leaders and managers have introduced a wide range of measures to assure themselves of the quality of teaching. They have implemented standardised lesson observations, prisoner feedback, course reviews, staff development days, created a buddying system and used lockdown days to share best practices. Where needed, leaders put in place additional support for teachers to help them to improve. As a result, prisoners develop the knowledge and skills they need and most prisoners pass their exams on their first attempt. Teachers use a variety of teaching strategies to help prisoners progress well. For example, teachers in mathematics revisit subjects until prisoners have mastered the skill. Teachers in English as a Second Language (ESOL) use assessment strategies to assure themselves that prisoners are secure in their knowledge. They use classroom discussions and questioning to observe prisoners’ understanding before setting

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Reasonable progress

individual tasks. Verbal feedback, following marking, is helpful and developmental. However, in some sessions, written feedback is hard to read. Consequently, too many prisoners are not clear of what they need to do to improve. At the start of the course, prisoners complete a diagnostic test to assess their starting points. Teachers then use this information to create individual learning plans which are used to check progress and give further support if required. Teachers order the curriculum to help prisoners develop the skills they need. For example, in English classes, prisoners start with simple tasks such as word expansions to participate in the learning process. While doing this, they learn about capital letters and full stops. Monitoring visit: HMP/YOI Lincoln, 30 August to 1 September 2022 Over time, they build to more complex activities such as completing informal and formal letters. They take trips to the library and learn how to use a dictionary. As a

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Reasonable progress

result, prisoners become confident in their use of English and are proud of their achievements.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not yet ensured that most prisoners in prison jobs can achieve relevant qualifications. Performing manufacturing operations qualifications within the two largest workshops (sewing and textiles) have not been taught since the last inspection over two years ago. Furthermore, no staff are available to teach waste management industry training and advisory board qualifications to the many prisoners working in cleaning and recycling activities. Prisoners who work in the kitchens do achieve the mandatory food hygiene certificate but do not have their newly developed wider catering skills recognised through a valuable external qualification. As a consequence, prisoners do not develop wider skills beyond those required for their specific job roles and are less well prepared for employment on release. Leaders and managers have recently widened opportunities for prisoners to achieve qualifications above level 1 in two vocational training workshops. However, only two

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Insufficient progress

prisoners have studied at this level. New subjects at level 2 have been introduced in barbering, fork-lift truck and, very recently, warehousing. Accommodation restraints restrict class sizes to very small numbers and few prisoners are able to study these courses. Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have introduced short construction courses leading to relevant work-focused qualifications. Local market intelligence indicated that many employment opportunities existed within the construction industry for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. As a result, managers introduced courses for prisoners to achieve the construction skills certification scheme (CSCS) card, the certificate in competence for demolition operatives (CCDO) card and the certificate in temporary traffic management (construction). In the six months prior to this visit, 100 prisoners had achieved either the CSCS or CCDO card,

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Insufficient progress

which are delivered and accredited on site, greatly increasing their chances of securing employment in the construction industry on release. Monitoring visit: HMP/YOI Lincoln, 30 August to 1 September 2022

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not ensured that most teachers set targets which help prisoners to improve. Staff do not routinely use information about prisoners’ prior knowledge to set individual learning targets against which progress can be measured. In English and mathematics, staff do not use reviews well enough to monitor learning and set new targets when previous ones have been achieved. As a result, prisoners are not being helped well enough to progress to their next steps. In most subjects, teaching staff do not record the development of employability skills sufficiently. In a minority of cases it is not recorded at all. Where employability skills targets are set, they are usually too broad to be meaningful and progress is only rarely reviewed. While prisoners are encouraged to include their skills and attributes on a curriculum vitae, this has insufficient detail to describe fully the new skills

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Insufficient progress

learned while in prison. Leaders have significantly improved the rigour of assessments of prisoners’ individual support needs. Prisoners’ learning support needs are assessed during induction. However, so far only prisoners attending education or industries undertake a more detailed diagnostic assessment that identifies their specific support needs. Well- qualified staff have been employed to provide additional support for prisoners with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers and instructors receive written guidance so that prisoners are supported to overcome their learning difficulties, for example through the use of reader pens and coloured overlays. Leaders do not always provide additional learning support swiftly enough. Too frequently, the full diagnostic assessment of a prisoner’s additional support needs does not take place until the second week of their course. During this time, teachers

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Insufficient progress

do not have sufficient guidance regarding how best to support learning, which restricts progress. Monitoring visit: HMP/YOI Lincoln, 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 children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Insufficient progress

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

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