HMP Huntercombe

Name of lead inspector: Carolyn Brownsea, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 14 to 16 November 2022

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Address:

Bradley road Nuffield Henley-on-Thames RG9 5SB Monitoring visit: HMP Huntercombe, 14 to 16 October 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 His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP).

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Insufficient progress

Leaders recognise that the overarching learning and skills quality assurance arrangements for education are ineffective. They do not have adequate oversight of the quality and impact of teaching and assessment. As a result, they do not identify the significant issues with the quality of tutors’ plans for learning and poor target setting in prisoners’ learning plans, identified during the visit.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not made sufficient progress in addressing the recommendations made at their last inspection. They have not systematically reviewed learners’ targets to assess progress or to refocus activities. As a result, managers have not effectively facilitated the improvement of tutors and some instructors’ training practices.

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Insufficient progress

The recently appointed industries manager has effectively reviewed the quality of teaching and support in industries and work, accurately identifying most of the key strengths and weaknesses. They have successfully used this information to support instructors to develop the skills required, to plan learning and set prisoners’ targets based on their individual development needs.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have taken appropriate action to overcome concerns with the quality of careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) for prisoners. However, they have not been rigorous enough in ensuring that the recently appointed CIAG provider has the required staffing in place. Consequently, prisoners do not receive the support required early enough in their prison career to help them to plan education, skills and work activities that enable them to develop the knowledge and skills required to prepare for release and, or resettlement. Monitoring visit: HMP Huntercombe, 14 to 16 October 2022

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meets prisoners’ needs and supports them to

develop the working skills that employers expect.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not ensured that there are sufficient education and skills places for all prisoners. Too many places are part time and since the COVID-19 pandemic, there are too few opportunities to gain qualifications beyond level 1 that employers expect. Staff shortages in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) have negatively impacted the number of prisoners accessing ESOL courses. As a result, only three- quarters of planned places are utilised. Difficulties in recruiting a barbering tutor has meant that prisoners have had limited access to the barbering course for approximately 15 months. Leaders are aspirational for prisoners to develop personal and social skills that complement their functional and vocational skills. In textiles, prisoners learn valuable skills related to their work, using different machines for cutting and sewing the garments they make. Leaders have proactively identified purposeful skills and work options for prisoners.

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Insufficient progress

They have recently, successfully introduced partnership working with employers through the social enterprise programme. Prisoners, including those at risk of social isolation and self-harm, benefit from opportunities that enable them to develop new skills in woodworking and business enterprise. Release on temporary licence activities has been established with a number of industries, including land base, where prisoners learn additional employability skills such as how to use a chain saw.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not ensured all tutors use the results of prisoners’ initial and diagnostic assessment effectively to identify gaps in prisoners’ knowledge and skills. This is particularly the case for lower and pre-entry ESOL prisoners. Managers do not plan a suitable learning programme to support prisoners bridge these knowledge gaps. Too many prisoners are enrolled on courses that do not challenge them. They quickly complete tasks set because they are not developing new knowledge and become demotivated with their learning.

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Insufficient progress

In English, mathematics and ESOL, tutors do not use reviews well enough to monitor learning. Leaders have not ensured all tutors set targets which support prisoners to improve. Prisoners do not receive the support they need to plan their targets. Monitoring visit: HMP Huntercombe, 14 to 16 October 2022 Consequently, too many targets do not relate to the skills required to complete the course and prisoners are not effectively supported to progress to their next steps. Prisoners’ skills development leading to roles of higher responsibility is not recorded. Too few prisoners have supportive progress targets that provide them with clear guidance on how to progress in their courses and advance in prison job roles. Prisoners working towards mentor roles do not have clear targets aligned to the programme they are following. They do not know if they are working towards an accredited or non-accredited mentor qualification.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have been slow to roll out the jointly developed English and mathematics workbooks. These have been designed to support embedding of English and mathematics in work and industries. Monitoring visit: HMP Huntercombe, 14 to 16 October 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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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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

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