Setting

Adult Learning Inspectorate

The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) was established under the provisions of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 to bring the inspection of all aspects of adult learning and work-based learning within the remit of a single inspectorate. The ALI is responsible for inspecting a wide range of government-funded learning, including:

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Adult Learning Inspectorate

• work-based learning for all people over 16 • provision in further education colleges for people aged 19 and over • the University for Industry’s provision • Adult and Community Learning • learning and job preparation programmes funded by Jobcentre Plus • education and training in prisons, at the invitation of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons.

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learndirect

Inspections are carried out in accordance with the by teams of full-time inspectors and part-time associate inspectors who have knowledge of, and experience in, the work which they inspect. All providers are invited to nominate a senior member of their staff to participate in the inspection as a team member. Common Inspection Framework

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Overall judgement

This provision will be subject to a full reinspection.

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Overall judgement

The final decision as to whether the provision is inadequate rests with the Chief Inspector of Adult Learning. A statement as to whether the provision is adequate or not is included in the summary section of the inspection report. In those cases where the overall judgement is that the provision is adequate, only those aspects of the provision which are less than satisfactory will be reinspected.

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Overall judgement

• more than one third of published grades for occupational/curriculum areas, or • leadership and management are judged to be less than satisfactory Provision will normally be deemed to be inadequate where: HMP LINCOLN

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Contents

Description of the provider 1 Scope of provision 1 About the inspection 2 Overall judgement 2 Key findings 3 What learners like about HMP Lincoln 8 What learners think HMP Lincoln could improve 8 Key challenges for HMP Lincoln 9

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Contents

Leadership and management 10 Equality of opportunity 12 Quality assurance 13 Information & communications technology 14 Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel 17 Foundation programmes 20 HMP LINCOLN

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

1. HMP Lincoln is a category B prison holding all categories of adult male prisoners, both remand and sentenced, with the exception of category A prisoners. HMP Lincoln receives prisoners from the magistrate courts within Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Humberside and Lincoln Crown Court. The operational capacity is 481 prisoners and the prison currently has 472 prisoners. The average length of stay for prisoners at Lincoln is nine months. Sixty per cent of prisoners are aged between 21 and 30 years of age. The minority ethnic population of the prison is approximately 4 per cent.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

2. The responsibilities of the head of regimes and resettlement include the education department, the library, the gym, and industries throughout the prison. Catering is the responsibility of the head of estates. Education provision is subcontracted to a college of further education. The education department is managed by an education manager who is jointly responsible with the deputy education manager for an administrator, three full- time and twelve part-time tutors. The education department offers 48 places each week over five days, in two and a half hour sessions in the morning and afternoons. There is no evening provision of education. Many of the daily sessions taught are literacy, numeracy and language skills through a foundation course. Courses are offered in information technology (IT) from entry level to national vocational qualifications (NVQ) at level 2. The prison is accredited to offer NVQs in catering and there are nine learners working

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

3. The library operates from two sites within the prison and is located away from the education department. Learners who attend education and training can only access library facilities at the weekend. One librarian and one officer support grade are employed in the library. The contract is held by Lincolnshire public library authority.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

4. Prison industries are the direct responsibility of the industries manager. There are three workshops within the prison: the textiles, tailors, net-making and charity workshop and a laundry. The workshops are staffed by officer instructors and instructional officers, with four allocated to each workshop and two officer instructors allocated to the laundry. There are no accredited courses within the workshops, laundry, gardens’ party, domestic party, or any of the orderly functions.

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Information & communications technology

5. There are 49 learners in the information and communication technology (ICT) education department working towards basic computer literacy courses. They are allowed a maximum of four ICT sessions each week, which are integrated with other courses. The learners can choose to follow individual units of the course. Fifty-nine learners are on a waiting list for ICT courses.

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Information & communications technology

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 1 HMP LINCOLN

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Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel

6. There are a maximum of 20 catering places in the kitchen. At the time of the inspection, an average of 15 prisoners were working in the kitchen, of whom nine learners were working towards an NVQ at level 1 in food preparation and cooking. All learners in the kitchen work towards an externally accredited basic food hygiene course, in-house fire training, and a health and safety certificate. Responsibility for training lies with the principal officer, and the senior officer is a qualified assessor.

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Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel

7. There are 12 places for learners on sports training programmes. Learners work towards gaining a community sports leadership award, a weight-lifting award, the basketball referee and leaders’ award and the football association referees’ award. There are no learners working towards NVQ programmes within the gym. There is one senior physical education (PE) officer responsible for the gym supported by five PE officers.

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Foundation programmes

8. There are 107 learners following foundation programmes. Of these, 59 are full-time learners, 43 of whom attend the education centre and a further 16, who are classified as vulnerable prisoners, receive their education on their prison wing. The 48 part-time learners receive tutor support in either their workplace or cell. The education department offers 48 places each week over five days, in two and a half hour sessions in the morning and afternoons. There is no evening provision of education. All courses are accredited. Learners are working towards qualifications at entry levels 1, 2 and 3 and NVQs at levels 1 and 2. The training provision is subcontracted to a college of further education. All incoming prisoners are informed about the choice of education during induction and are offered a literacy, numeracy and language skills screening test. The education block has six classrooms in use and a further six are unused due to lack of funding.

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OVERALL JUDGEMENT

9. The quality of the provision is not adequate to meet the reasonable needs of those receiving it. More specifically, the leadership and management of education and training at HMP Lincoln are unsatisfactory, as are the arrangements for quality assurance and equal opportunities. The quality of training in hospitality, sport leisure and travel, and foundation programmes is satisfactory, but the ICT programme is unsatisfactory.

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

Number of inspectors 5 Number of inspection days 22 Number of learner interviews 74 Number of staff interviews 38

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 2 HMP LINCOLN

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Achievement and standards

10. In ICT programmes, 70 per cent of learners stay for the planned duration of the course or achieve their learning targets early. However, only 15 per cent achieve the full qualification. Fifty-eight per cent achieve units of the qualification. All of the learners are involved in their project work and are motivated to improve their assignment work. The learners’ level of competence is clearly improving as they work through and complete their assignments.

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Achievement and standards

11. All learners on the hospitality programme have only started their NVQ within the past month and it is too early to judge their progress. Three learners have previously completed an NVQ at level 1 in food preparation and cooking, and three learners are awaiting internal verification of their portfolios of evidence. It is not possible to judge the achievement rates against those who started the programmes, as records are only kept of those who were registered with the awarding body and not those who started training. There is good achievement of additional qualifications. Learners in the kitchen work towards an accredited food hygiene qualification and in-house health, safety and fire training. Of 143 learners who took the basic food hygiene test in the past year, 87 per cent successfully achieved the qualification. In the kitchen, as the learners’ knowledge and experience increases, they are given additional responsibilities.

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Achievement and standards

12. In addition to in-house certificated qualifications, learners on PE programmes take a

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variety of community sports leadership awards, referees’ qualifications and a national

weight-lifting award. Pass rates are also high for these courses. For example, 96 per cent of learners passed their community sports leadership volleyball courses, and 83 per cent of learners achieved their basketball, referees and leaders award. Although learners being moved to other prisons have affected achievement rates, 99 per cent of learners who stayed until the end of their training programme achieved their qualification, 80 per cent of learners achieved the national weight-lifting award and 100 per cent achieved their soccer referees award. This is particularly good, as 74 per cent of learners within the prison are identified as needing additional literacy support.

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variety of community sports leadership awards, referees’ qualifications and a national

13. For learners on foundation programmes, there is good achievement of qualifications in literacy and numeracy awards. On literacy training programmes, 75 per cent of learners who started the programme in the past year have achieved their learning goals and a further 11 per cent are still in learning. For numeracy, the achievement rate is 72 per cent, with 10 per cent still in learning. In skills for learning and life, many learners have achieved either literacy or numeracy units, or sometimes both. The standards of learners’ work is satisfactory and in most cases is showing steady improvement. Learners find it easier to write letters home and they are also progressing well in speaking and listening skills.

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variety of community sports leadership awards, referees’ qualifications and a national

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 3 HMP LINCOLN

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Quality of education and training

14. There is a very professional and respectful relationship between the learners and the education staff. Activities in education are focused, purposeful, and maintain the learners’ interest throughout their classes. Tutors provide effective individual tuition in the health centre, vulnerable prisoners’ unit and workshops.

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Quality of education and training

15. Teaching and learning are good in ICT. There are good examples of detailed and well-considered resource-based learning and assessment. Learners receive effective guidance from knowledgeable tutors, most with sound industrial experience and many years of teaching. The support given to learners is good. The resource-based learning is carried out in small discrete assignments, building confidence by using an accumulation of small assignments, and then linking the knowledge the learners gain. There is good class management and involvement of all the learners. There is a narrow range of ICT courses. There are inadequate computer facilities in the vocational workshops and no ICT facilities for vulnerable learners. These learners want ICT courses and cannot have them due to the nature of their confinement and their inability to attend the education department.

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Quality of education and training

16. Teaching and training for both catering and PE training programmes are satisfactory. Many learners feel that they have progressed since joining the kitchen team and efforts are made to find them employment in the local community on their release. Learners on PE training programmes are treated with respect and encouraged to improve their fitness levels. Learners feel confident to approach PE officers for help and support. There is inadequate planning of training programmes. There are no individual learning plans detailing how and when training will be delivered, when and how assessment will take place, and target dates for achievement. There are no targets set for the completion of work and learners on NVQ programmes are unclear about their progress and what is required to achieve their qualifications.

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Quality of education and training

17. In foundation programmes, there is good planning and implementation of full-time education programmes. The standard of full-time education is very good. Lessons are well planned to maintain the learners’ interest. There is much group work that includes highly participative discussions where tutors use good classroom management skills to include all of the learners. There is clear recording of learners’ progress by learners and tutors, and learners are aware of their progress. Tutors are aware of what has been covered in previous sessions and link their presentations into it effectively. Learners and tutors demonstrate mutual respect. Outreach education provision is unsatisfactory. The length of visits to learners varies and there is little time for advice and guidance. Many learners identified their need for extra tutor time and guidance. Although tutors work hard to help these learners, they are very poorly supported in terms of time and

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Quality of education and training

18. Access to library resources is poor. The two libraries available to learners and prisoners are in different sections of the prison, and the resources are not duplicated. Prisoners only have access to the library facilities on Saturdays or Sundays. The two prison libraries and the education service have very poor links. Learners complain that

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Quality of education and training

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 4 HMP LINCOLN

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Quality of education and training

the library is not resourced to meet their learning needs. There is a lack of accessible library facilities for learners on foundation programmes. It is particularly serious for the vulnerable prisoners, who have so few learning resources available to them. Learners who need reading skills as part of their learning development do not have proper access to the library facilities and miss out on the essential opportunity to practise and improve their reading skills.

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Leadership and management

19. There is a lack of clear direction for planning of the future development needs in education and training. Planning within the prison is taking place and there is a well- recorded and comprehensive educational development plan. However, the plan does not include any long-term strategy on how the education and training provision will develop. The prison business plan is thorough and detailed, but it does not set challenging targets. Most of the targets are focused on contractual compliance and prison service order requirements. For example, in ICT there is an overall development plan to improve performance, but no clear strategic plan for the future development of ICT provision. There is no needs analysis carried out against projected educational requirements.

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Leadership and management

20. There is insufficient accreditation of nationally recognised qualifications in the workshops. There is an adequate range of employment-related practical skills opportunities in the production workshops, but there are insufficient opportunities for learners to gain qualifications. There are few qualified assessors and verifiers and no available budget to fund further staff training. The turnover of prisoners is high, with only 10 per cent remaining in the workshops for more than two months. This is a barrier to the learners gaining relevant skills and competences over time.

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Leadership and management

21. There is a very professional and respectful relationship between the learners and the education staff. Activities in education are focused, purposeful, and maintain the learners’ interest throughout their classes. There are good arrangements for access to education and industries for vulnerable prisoners and those prisoners in the health centre. There is appropriate education support for the small number of foreign national learners in the prison.

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Leadership and management

22. Diversity training for staff is insufficient. The prison offers diversity training to all staff, including the education department. Three training programmes have run, but none of the education staff have yet received training. The prison is aware of the difficulties in providing access to many parts of the prison for those prisoners with restricted mobility. The education department makes appropriate arrangements to support those learners with hearing impairment, restricted mobility and health conditions.

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Leadership and management

23. The system for assuring the quality of learning in education and training is ineffective. The observation of staff is an established process. However, most observations record the highest grades, which do not reflect the observers’ comments. They do not clearly identify specific issues for improvement. Examples of good practice are not always shared across the training programme.

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Leadership and management

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 5 HMP LINCOLN

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Strengths

good planning of educational resources ! very good response to learners’ educational and training needs !

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Weaknesses

no clear strategic direction for education and training ! insufficient accreditation of training ! poor use of initial assessment ! poor access to the library resources ! insufficient diversity training for education staff ! 24. The self-assessment process is satisfactory. It was detailed and involved full consultation with all education and training staff. It also included staff from industries, library and health. It did not contain a separate section on leadership and management. The report summaries were evaluative and accurate, but the strengths and weaknesses for the areas of learning lacked clear judgements.

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Weaknesses

25. Initial assessment is satisfactory and, where it is later identified that learners underperform in the initial tests, they are moved into a more appropriate group. The results of the initial assessment are recorded and entered onto an individual learning plan. In ICT training programmes there is good structured pastoral support to meet individual learners’ needs. However, literacy and numeracy assessments are not shared with the catering and PE departments to help plan training and support for learners. Structured literacy and numeracy training is not routinely available to learners on these training programmes to improve their skills. Informal support is given to help learners when answering knowledge questions and tests.

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Weaknesses

26. There is a narrow learning curriculum. The subjects on offer are restricted to mainly numeracy and literacy, with some art and pottery. Little use is made of ICT as a learning medium either to facilitate existing courses or provide new computer-based courses that learners can follow at their own pace. There are no evening or weekend classes to facilitate part-time study. Learners either have to join the full-time training programme or receive support in the prison workshops or on the wings.

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Weaknesses

The following strengths and weaknesses were identified during this inspection:

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Leadership and management

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 6 HMP LINCOLN

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Strengths

good teaching and learning ! good support and guidance from tutors !

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Weaknesses

narrow range of ICT courses ! inadequate ICT facilities in the vocational workshop ! no ICT facilities for vulnerable prisoners ! no links between the education department and the library !

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Strengths

good achievement of additional qualifications ! good personal development of learners and skills !

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Weaknesses

inadequate planning of training programmes ! insufficient support for learners with literacy, numeracy and language needs !

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Strengths

good achievements rates of literacy and numeracy qualifications ! good planning and implementation of full-time education programmes !

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Weaknesses

insufficient outreach provision ! poor links between the library provision and the education department ! narrow learning curriculum !

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Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 7 HMP LINCOLN

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WHAT LEARNERS LIKE ABOUT HMP LINCOLN:

the commitment of the staff ! helpful and supportive tutors ! relaxed working environment ! good support for continuing studies when released ! good-quality handouts for ICT courses !

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WHAT LEARNERS THINK HMP LINCOLN COULD IMPROVE:

better access to the library facilities and increase the range of technical books ! the variety of courses - more music, art and geography ! a reduction in the movement between prisons when nearing the end of a course ! reduced waiting lists for courses ! business studies courses and courses in starting your own business. ! more vocationally related courses !

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WHAT LEARNERS THINK HMP LINCOLN COULD IMPROVE:

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 8 HMP LINCOLN

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP LINCOLN:

introduce clear strategic direction for the future development of education and training !

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP LINCOLN:

develop a curriculum that promotes wider access to a full range of long and short courses to meet individual learners’ needs !

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP LINCOLN:

introduce the accreditation of nationally recognised qualifications throughout the workshops !

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP LINCOLN:

review the quality assurance arrangements and develop the system to ensure that all education and training is subject to continual appraisal and development. !

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP LINCOLN:

become more efficient at moving prisoners from the wings to the workshops ! develop a library infrastructure with appropriate access and scope linked to the needs of the education department and prison as a whole !

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP LINCOLN:

improve the outreach programme for literacy, numeracy and language support to include all training departments in the prison !

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP LINCOLN:

produce an overall strategy for ICT for the education and vocational departments !

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP LINCOLN:

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 9 HMP LINCOLN

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The following strengths and weaknesses were identified during this inspection:

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Strengths

good planning of educational resources ! very good response to learners’ educational and training needs !

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Weaknesses

no clear strategic direction for education and training ! insufficient accreditation of training ! poor use of initial assessment ! poor access to the library resources ! insufficient diversity training for education staff ! ineffective quality assurance system !

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Weaknesses

28. There is good planning in the use of available funds for the education department. Through careful planning of the budget for education, the education manager has effectively increased the teaching available to the education department by 1,500 hours without increasing the total cost of education delivery. Six new classrooms were refurbished earlier this year but have not been used because of the lack of funding for education. Three of these are now planned to be in operation within the next month. This will add an extra 36 learners places in full-time education: an increase of approximately 70 per cent on the current capacity. There is no funding for the teaching of pottery and art, but these subjects are taught as contributory sessions for skills for learning and life programme. There have also been recent improvements to the IT teaching room, with the installation of a projector and interactive whiteboard.

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Weaknesses

29. There is no clear direction for planning of the future development needs in education and training. Planning within the prison is taking place and there is a well- documented and comprehensive educational development plan. However, the plan does not include any long-term strategy on how the education and training provision will develop, how resources will be improved and how monitoring will take place. For example, the development plan indicates a lack of computer facilities for E wing, but there is no strategy on what is required and how this will be carried out. The prison business plan is thorough and detailed but does not set challenging targets. Most of the 27. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory. Equal opportunities and quality assurance are also unsatisfactory.

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Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 10 HMP LINCOLN

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Weaknesses

targets are focused on contractual compliance and prison service order requirements. There is no clear indication of how the prison will achieve continual improvement and development of education and training programmes. For example, in ICT there is an overall development plan to improve performance but no clear strategic plan for the future development of ICT provision. There is no needs analysis carried out against projected educational requirements. Individual budgets and development plans are not prepared for hardware, software and maintenance contracts. Training plans for ICT do not consider the implications of software use and development; for example, the use of software upgrades for higher levels of education and the use of older software for the lower level or introductory courses.

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Weaknesses

30. There is insufficient accreditation of nationally recognised qualifications in the workshops. There is an adequate range of employment-related practical skills opportunities in the production workshops, but there are insufficient opportunities for learners to gain qualifications. Prisoners carry out purposeful work in a safe environment, producing a wide range of good-quality products. Learners are provided with opportunities to gain a wide range of useful skills and opportunities exist for the accreditation of qualifications in some of the workshops. However, apart from the nine learners working towards a catering NVQ, no NVQs are offered in the prison’s workshops. There are few qualified assessors and verifiers and no available budget to fund further staff training. The turnover of prisoners is high, with only 10 per cent remaining in the workshops for more than two months. This is a barrier to learners

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Weaknesses

gaining relevant skills and competences over time.

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Weaknesses

31. In some workshops there were low numbers of prisoners due to the inefficient movement of prisoners from the prison’s wings to the workshops. Many prisoners were unable to attend the workshops, although they were registered for employment activities, and they do not receive regular workshop training and employment.

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Weaknesses

32. There is poor use of initial assessment evidence. Initial assessment is carried out and, where it is later identified that learners underperform in the initial tests, they are moved into a more appropriate group. Of the prisoners carrying out the initial assessment test on entry to the prison, approximately 74 per cent need support for literacy and 81 per cent for numeracy. Of these, 28 per cent had requested support and were receiving it. The results of the initial assessment are not passed to those in sentence-planning, who in turn do not send prisoners’ information to the education department. There is no communication between the two areas and this has a detrimental impact on the learners’ experience, as no-one has a complete record of the agreed targets. Literacy and numeracy assessments are not shared with the catering and PE departments to help plan training and support for the learners. In these departments,

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Weaknesses

additional support needs are usually only identified after the learner has started training. Although informal support is given to help learners when answering background knowledge questions and tests, there is no formal literacy, numeracy and language support for learners working towards qualifications in the kitchen and PE department.

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Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 11 HMP LINCOLN

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Equality of opportunity

33. The prison has an equal opportunities policy and a race relations policy. There is a new complaints procedure relating to the prison as a whole, but no procedure linked specifically to education and training. The prison’s wing committees have prisoner representation and issues are referred to appropriate committees across the prison.

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Equality of opportunity

34. There is a very good response to learners’ education and training needs. The learners and the education staff enjoy a very professional and respectful relationship. Activities in education are focused, purposeful and maintain the learners’ interest throughout their classes. Vulnerable prisoners and those in the health centre have good arrangements for access to education and industries. There is appropriate education support for the small number of foreign national learners in the prison. However, during the prison induction there is no immediate access to translators to help prisoners understand what work or education is available to them.

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Equality of opportunity

35. The prison is aware of the difficulties in providing access to many parts of the prison for those prisoners with restricted mobility. The education department makes appropriate arrangements to support those learners with hearing impairment, restricted mobility and health conditions. There is approximately a three-week waiting list for education programmes. However, if a prisoner has specific needs education, staff ensure that the prisoner gains a place quickly on an appropriate programme.

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Equality of opportunity

36. Access to library resources is poor. Each library is in a different part of the prison and the resources are not duplicated. Prisoners only have access to the libraries on Saturday or Sunday. Each library is only accessible to its adjacent wings. All prisoners have an entitlement to 20 minutes in the library but some prison staff do not recognise the importance of this resource to prisoners, many of whom do not receive their full-time allowance due to poor arrangements for moving prisoners. Insufficient attention is given to planning weekend activities, which include visiting, and this forces prisoners to make difficult choices in the limited time available to them.

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Equality of opportunity

37. There is insufficient diversity training for education staff. There is a lack of focus in raising awareness and providing training for staff in the education department. The number of short-sentence prisoners is increasing and there is no plan to ensure that the particular needs of these learners who are working towards a qualification are met. Vulnerable prisoners do not have access to the education department and the educational facilities on the wing are poor. Education staff are aware of this but little has been done to ensure that these learners have equality of opportunity. The prison offers diversity training to all staff, including the education department and, while training programmes have taken place, none of the education staff have yet received training. The most recent equal opportunities training and race relations training in education was in 2000 and only one member of staff has received further training.

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Equality of opportunity

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 12 HMP LINCOLN

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Quality assurance

38. Quality assurance arrangements in the prison are unsatisfactory. The subcontracting college has produced a prison education quality assurance framework, which has been reviewed recently and produced on CD-ROM, together with a complete set of procedures. Industries have an established prison quality assurance system and comply with external contract checks.

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Quality assurance

39. The annual review of learners’ views of education is satisfactory. However, there is no review of training in the gymnasium or the workshops. In education, feedback from the learners is completed and the results are used to develop management decision- making about current and future programmes.

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Quality assurance

40. The self-assessment process is satisfactory. The prison produced a self-assessment report before the inspection that was detailed and involved full consultation with all education and training staff. Other prison staff also contributed to the self-assessment report. It did not contain a separate section on leadership and management. The report summaries were evaluative and accurate, but the strengths and weaknesses for the areas of learning lacked clear judgments. The newly formed quality improvement group has met once formally after agreeing its terms of reference and membership.

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Quality assurance

41. The system for assuring the quality of learning in education is ineffective. The prison does not have an overall system for ensuring the quality of education and training. The education department relies on a college-based system of procedures for the observation and appraisal of staff. This is an established process and detailed records are kept. However, most lesson observations record the highest grades, which do not always reflect the observers’ comments. They do not clearly identify specific issues for improvement. Examples of good practice are not always shared across the training programme. Good practice is a regular item on the agenda at staff meetings but the meetings concentrate on curriculum issues and good practice is not formally recorded. There is no check to ensure that other tutors implement the principles of good practice to raise standards of teaching. The college has produced a quality assurance timetable of

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Quality assurance

activities linked to the procedures. A member of the subcontracted college’s staff monitors these procedures but only provides verbal feedback. There are no recorded actions and there is no check to ensure that the scheduled procedures have been completed accurately. There are opportunities for prisoners to gain a wide range of skills in the prison workshops. However, there is no system for checking the quality of this training. There are no retention and achievement targets set in education or training, apart from the prison’s key performance targets for literacy and numeracy. A recent needs analysis of prisoners identified interests for a wide range of training programmes, including engineering, business skills, cookery, joinery and psychology. However, the prison does not offer any of these programmes.

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Quality assurance

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 13 HMP LINCOLN

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Information & communications technology

The following strengths and weaknesses were identified during this inspection:

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Achievement and standards

43. The IT courses all operate continuously, with no start and end date. The learners attend until they are moved, released or ask to be removed. During their stay they may achieve one or more units of a basic computer literacy qualification. Learners are often moved to other category prisons, released, or take up employment within the prison. Achievements are rarely monitored from one prison to another. In the event of learners being able to carry on their education when transferred, there are often serious delays in transferring their work, which creates continuity problems and loss of interest. Seventy per cent of learners stay for the planned duration or achieve early. However, only 15 per cent achieve the full qualification. Fifty-eight per cent achieve units of the qualification.

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Achievement and standards

44. All of the learners are involved in their project work and are motivated to improve their assignment work. The learners’ level of competence is clearly improving as they work through and complete their assignments.

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Quality of education and training

45. Teaching and learning are good. All of the teaching sessions observed were good. There are examples of detailed and well-considered resource-based learning and assessment. Schemes of work are good, well designed and include interesting tasks. Learners receive effective guidance from knowledgeable tutors, most of whom have sound industrial experience and many years of teaching. Tutors are enthusiastic about

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Strengths

good teaching and learning ! good support and guidance from tutors !

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Weaknesses

narrow range of ICT courses ! inadequate ICT facilities in the vocational workshop ! no ICT facilities for vulnerable prisoners ! no links between the education department and the library ! 42. Training in ICT is unsatisfactory.

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Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 14 HMP LINCOLN

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Weaknesses

their subjects, and the learners respond to this and make good progress. The support given to learners is good. The resource-based learning is carried out in small discrete assignments, building confidence, using an accumulation of small assignments, and then linking the knowledge the learners gain. Handouts and workbooks are good. There is good class management and involvement with colleagues.

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Weaknesses

46. The support and guidance from tutors are good. Tutors go to great lengths to be involved in the work and educational problems of the learners. There are helpful hints and tips on how to get the best out of the computer and much good-quality coaching from tutors. Assignments are reinforced with individual exercises to improve skills. There is good use of assessment and feedback to reinforce learning. Tutors use their skills and experience to refer to realistic and appropriate situations in industry when explaining examples. Tutors cover many facets of computing, including hardware and background knowledge, beyond that required by the course, to help the learners understand the concepts involved. The workbooks chosen by the tutors are good and contain explicit diagrams of screen formats and easily understandable text. The tutors encourage the learners to support each other. Good use is made of learners’ hobbies and personal

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Weaknesses

47. The learners’ induction is satisfactory. Education staff are sensitive to the learners’ needs and have a positive and respectful attitude to the new learners.

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Weaknesses

48. There is satisfactory support for the learners’ literacy and numeracy needs. Initial assessment consists of a literacy and numeracy skills test and identifies any need such as spelling, punctuation or numeracy, which is then recorded and entered onto an individual learning plan. There is good structured pastoral support to meet individual learners’ needs. Appropriate and timely measures are taken to ensure that the learners’ progression is maintained and there is good recording of the support received.

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Weaknesses

49. The range of ICT programmes is narrow. Learners do not have the opportunity to extend their learning beyond the NVQ at level 2. There are no advanced courses in the prison to which the learners can progress and no courses to develop the learners’ skills and knowledge, for example in computer programming or web design. There is no strategic link between ICT programmes and work and employability skills, and no links to external organisations for advice and guidance in establishing a business outside of prison. There is insufficient planning to develop the ICT provision for the introduction of new courses. Vulnerable prisoners have no access to ICT programmes, and there are no facilities on their wing for them to be able to work towards ICT qualifications.

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Weaknesses

50. The ICT facilities in the vocational workshops are inadequate. In one workshop, the IT facilities used for the production of materials for the visually impaired were inadequate. The computers were old, did not contain up-to-date software and lacked the capacity to house modern systems. The machines are not networked and have no maintenance agreement attached to them. Staff have to carry out any repairs or upgrades required.

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Weaknesses

51. There are no ICT facilities for vulnerable learners. These learners cannot have IT

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Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 15 HMP LINCOLN

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Weaknesses

courses due the nature of their confinement and their inability to attend the education department. These learners have poor education facilities. The standard of teaching aids is poor. The room used for training is bare, the seating is uncomfortable and there is only one small cupboard for storing learning files and work materials.

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Weaknesses

52. There are no links between the IT section in the education department and the library. Learners have difficulty getting reference materials for their assignments. The libraries are used mainly for recreational reading and there are few technical books and magazines suitable to support learners on educational and training courses. There are few computer books, no technology section and no digital link to the central library. Learners have difficulty ordering and receiving reference books. Library facilities are only accessible at weekends and learners are allocated only one brief visit. This often clashes with family visits, gym visits, use of showers and church attendance. The education manager has recently attended planned meetings with the library staff, but it is too soon too judge the effectiveness of these meetings.

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Leadership and management

53. Overall, the management of the IT provision is satisfactory. Staff work effectively as a team. Internal communications are good. Staff share progress and problems relating to learners both formally and informally. They are well qualified, trained and experienced. They are encouraged to develop their skills both occupationally and as tutors. The working relationships between staff and learners are good. There is a professional and respectful attitude between them. Learners are well motivated by their tutors and retain their interest and concentration during education and training sessions. Internal records are good. Learners’ work is well presented. There is no individual self- assessment report for IT and no overall formal IT strategy for the future development of IT provision.

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Leadership and management

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 16 HMP LINCOLN

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Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel

The following strengths and weaknesses were identified during this inspection:

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Achievement and standards

55. There are few learners on hospitality, sport, leisure and travel training programmes. Learners in PE do not have the opportunity to work towards an NVQ. Eleven learners are working towards a national weight-lifting award. All learners working in the kitchen are given the opportunity to work towards an NVQ in food preparation and cooking at level 1. There are nine learners working towards this qualification. All learners on the training programme have only started their NVQ within the last month and it is too early to judge their progress. Three learners have previously completed an NVQ at level 1 in food preparation and cooking, and three learners are awaiting internal verification of their portfolios of evidence. It is not possible to judge the achievement rates against those who started the programmes, as records are only kept of those who were registered with the awarding body and not those who started training.

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Achievement and standards

56. There is good achievement of additional qualifications. Learners on catering and PE training programmes have good opportunities to work towards a variety of in-house certificated and externally accredited qualifications. Learners in the kitchen work towards an accredited food hygiene qualification and in-house health and safety and fire training. Of 143 learners who took the basic food hygiene test in the past year, 87 per cent successfully achieved the qualification. In addition to in-house certificated qualifications, learners on PE training programmes take a variety of community sports leadership awards, referees’ qualifications and a national weight-lifting award. Pass rates are also high for these courses. For example, 96 per cent of learners passed their community sports leadership volleyball courses and 83 per cent of learners achieved their basketball, referees and leaders award. Although learners being moved to other

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Achievement and standards

prisons have affected achievement rates, 99 per cent of learners who stayed until the end of their training programme achieved their qualification, 80 per cent of learners achieved the national weight-lifting award, and 100 per cent achieved their soccer referees’ award.

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Strengths

good achievement of additional qualifications ! good personal development of learners and skills !

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Weaknesses

inadequate planning of training programmes ! insufficient support for learners with literacy, numeracy and language needs ! 54. Training in hospitality, sport, leisure and travel is satisfactory.

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Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 17 HMP LINCOLN

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Weaknesses

57. Staff in the catering and PE departments are supportive in allowing learners to develop a wide range of skills useful in the wider community and in employment. In the kitchen, as learners’ knowledge and experience increases, they are given additional responsibilities.

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Quality of education and training

58. There is good personal and skills development for learners in catering and PE. All learners are well motivated, take pride in their work and have a sense of achievement. Some learners in the kitchen have identified future career opportunities and have a clear aim to use their skills and qualifications to gain jobs when they are released. Learners demonstrate good practical skills across a variety of tasks. Many learners feel they have progressed since joining the kitchen team and efforts are made to find employment in the local community on their release. Learners on PE programmes are treated with respect and encouraged to improve their fitness levels. Learners feel confident to approach PE officers for help and support. Fitness programmes and support from tutors encourages learners to develop routines to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Learners’ knowledge and understanding of sports and fitness is increased through PE training

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Quality of education and training

59. All training sessions observed were either satisfactory or better.

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Quality of education and training

60. Resources for catering are satisfactory. Resources for PE are satisfactory for the current numbers of learners. However, a football pitch and rugby pitch are not used due to security concerns. This greatly restricts the amount of outdoor activities available to the learners, although there is a smaller outside pitch that can be used for some activities. There is sufficient space in classrooms for small groups of learners. Classrooms are well lit and there is sufficient equipment and materials of a satisfactory standard. Handouts are available to learners in PE and books are available to learners in the catering department, but there are insufficient books to support study in the library. For example, catering books that were available were old and out of date. Staff are appropriately qualified and occupationally competent. However, it is recognised that more assessors and a local internal verifier are needed for the catering department and

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Quality of education and training

61. Induction for learners on catering and PE programmes is satisfactory. Learners’ responsibilities, entitlements and opportunities for training are explained clearly. Induction is recorded and learners sign an agreement to follow the rules laid down. Assessment practice is satisfactory for NVQs in the kitchen, although current learners have little awareness of assessment, as they have not reached this stage in their training programme. Previous assessment practice was satisfactory, but it relied on observations and written answers to questions and there was little use of other forms of evidence collecting. There are records of previous assessments.

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Quality of education and training

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 18 HMP LINCOLN

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Quality of education and training

62. The planning of training programmes is inadequate. Records of previous training are not passed on to the prison and there is some repetition of training. Training that is taking place is recorded, but records lack detail. There are no individual learning plans detailing how and when training will be delivered, when and how assessment will take place, and target dates for achievement. Learners in PE access courses as and when they are made available and if they can be released from other activities. Learners on catering NVQs are given knowledge questions to answer, and if they make good progress they are then registered with the awarding body and assessed. Those who do not make good progress are unable to achieve their NVQ. A few learners are making slow progress. There were no targets set for completion of work and learners on NVQ programmes are unclear about their progress and what they had to do to achieve their qualifications.

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Quality of education and training

Some unrealistic timescales have been set for the completion of NVQs. One learner due for release in three months has only just started his portfolio of evidence and has not yet been registered with the awarding body or had any planned assessments.

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Quality of education and training

63. The support for learners with literacy, numeracy and language needs is insufficient. Literacy, numeracy and language assessments are not shared with the catering and PE departments to help plan training and support for learners. Structured literacy, numeracy and language training is not routinely available to learners on these training programmes to improve their skills. Additional support needs are usually only picked up after the learners have started training. Although informal support is given to help learners when answering knowledge questions and tests, there is no formal literacy, numeracy and language support for learners working towards qualifications in the kitchen and PE department.

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Leadership and management

64. Leadership and management of catering and PE training programmes are satisfactory. Both departments are managed well, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for training. Staff have regular opportunities to attend training programmes and update their skills. There are few learners in training. Numbers of learners working towards NVQs have also been low and the prison’s management recognised this. There are plans to expand catering NVQs and develop the PE NVQs, but these developments are at an early stage. There are advanced plans to develop a course in fast-food preparation. This clearly meets the local employment requirements as there is a demand for trained staff in these types of food outlets.

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Leadership and management

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 19 HMP LINCOLN

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Foundation programmes

The following strengths and weaknesses were identified during this inspection:

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Achievement and standards

66. The achievement of literacy and numeracy qualifications is good. On literacy training programmes, 75 per cent of learners who started the training programme in the past year have achieved their learning goals and a further 11 per cent are still in learning. On numeracy training programmes, the achievement rate is 72 per cent, with 10 per cent still in learning. In skills for learning and life, many learners have achieved either literacy or numeracy units and sometimes both.

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Achievement and standards

67. The standards of learners’ work is satisfactory and, in most cases, it is showing steady improvement. Learners find it easier to write letters home. Learners are also progressing well in speaking and listening skills. There is no linking of key performance target figures against achievement, except to compare ongoing achievement with end-of-year targets.

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Quality of education and training

68. There is good planning and implementation of full-time education for foundation programme learners. The standard of full-time education is high. Lessons are well planned to maintain the learners’ interest. Many of the sessions have a workshop element that includes good individual tutoring. However, in some cases, due to large class numbers, learners have to wait for some time before being seen, although a very good standard of individual tutoring takes place. There is also much group work that includes highly participative discussions where tutors use good classroom management skills to include all learners. In the main education department, good use is made of videos and there is a good selection of up-to-date and attractive textbooks. There is clear recording of learners’ progress by learners, and tutors and learners are aware of their

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Strengths

good achievements rates of literacy and numeracy qualifications ! good planning and implementation of full-time education programmes !

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Weaknesses

insufficient outreach provision ! poor links between the library provision and the education department ! narrow learning curriculum ! 65. Training in foundation programmes is satisfactory.

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Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 20 HMP LINCOLN

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Weaknesses

progress. Tutors are aware of what has been covered in previous sessions and effectively link their presentations into it. Learners work hard and diligently, and are proud of their work. Learners and tutors demonstrate respect for each other.

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Weaknesses

69. Although the induction process is satisfactory, many prisoners are in a traumatised state when they attend and do not always understand the learning options that are available to them. Initial assessment is also satisfactory and, where it is later identified that learners underperform in the initial tests, they are moved into a more appropriate group if necessary. Health and safety provision within the education block is satisfactory.

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Weaknesses

70. There is insufficient outreach provision. Visits to learners vary from approximately 10 to 15 minutes to half an hour. Meetings are often held standing up in public places. There is little time for advice and guidance. Many learners identified their need for extra tutor time and guidance. In other instances, tutorials take place in side offices. For example, a learner was observed carrying out a timed test while other learners were given a tutorial in the same room. The reason given was that the test invigilation could take up the time needed for the other learners in the workshop. Although tutors work hard to help these learners, they are very poorly supported in terms of both time and resources.

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Weaknesses

71. Full-time learners who are classified as vulnerable receive all their learning in poorly decorated and badly maintained recreation rooms on the wing. There are no ICT facilities, no videos, and very few textbooks. The curriculum is also very limited to just literacy and numeracy, with none of the design course options that are available in the education department. There is also insufficient magazines and other contemporary reading matter. The only time these learners may take exercise outside is during the first hour of the afternoon sessions. This limits the time available for vulnerable prisoners to receive education.

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Weaknesses

72. The two prison libraries and the education service have very poor links. The libraries are only open at weekends and at times that often clash with visits from family or friends, gym visits, use of showers and church attendance. Even when visiting the library, learners’ visits are brief. The library has no computer link with other county libraries. Learners complain that the library is not resourced to meet their learning needs. In the vulnerable prisoners’ block, some prisoners had not been to the library for three weeks because by the time it was their turn to go the library the visiting time allotted to them had expired. There is a lack of accessible library facilities for learners on foundation programmes. It is particularly serious for the vulnerable prisoners who have so few learning resources available to them. Learners who need reading skills as part of their learning development do not have proper access to the library facilities and miss out on

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Weaknesses

the essential opportunity to practise and improve their reading skills.

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Leadership and management

73. Leadership and management for foundation programmes are satisfactory. The manager ensures that tutors are adequately qualified and have attended regular courses to maintain and improve their skills.

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Leadership and management

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 21 HMP LINCOLN

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Leadership and management

74. There is a narrow learning curriculum. The subjects on offer are restricted to mainly numeracy and literacy, with some art and pottery. Little use is made of ICT as a learning medium, either to facilitate existing courses or provide computer-written courses that learners could follow at their own pace. There are no evening or weekend classes to facilitate part-time study. Learners either have to join the full-time programme or receive support in the prisons’ workshops or on the wings. They cannot attend the centre part- time. In addition, they have to study both literacy and numeracy, even if they only have an identified need for one.

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