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 • learndirect provision • Adult and Community Learning • training funded by Jobcentre Plus • education and training in prisons, at the invitation of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons • adult information, advice and guidance services ( nextstep )

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Adult Learning Inspectorate

Inspections are carried out in accordance with the Common Inspection Framework 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.

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Overall effectiveness

The grades given for achievement and standards and the quality of provision and leadership and management will be used to arrive at a judgement about the overall effectiveness of the provider.

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Overall effectiveness

Outstanding provision should typically have leadership and management and at least two of the three strands within achievement and standards and the quality of provision judged to be a grade 1. All strands within achievement and standards and the quality of provision will be graded 1 or 2.

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Overall effectiveness

Good provision should have leadership and management and at least two of the three strands within achievement and standards and the quality of provision judged to be a grade 2 or better. All strands within achievement and standards and the quality of provision will be grade 3 or better.

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Overall effectiveness

Satisfactory provision should have adequate or better grades in leadership and management and at least two of the strands within achievement and standards and the quality of provision grades. An adequate provider might have a range of grades for the strands within achievement and standards and the quality of provision, with no more than one graded 4.

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Overall effectiveness

Provision will normally be deemed to be inadequate where two or more of strands within achievement and standards and the quality of provision and/or leadership and management are judged to be inadequate.

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Overall effectiveness

The final decision as to whether the provision is inadequate rests with the Chief Inspector of Adult Learning.

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Grading

Inspectors use a four-point scale to summarise their judgements about the quality of provision in occupational/curriculum areas and Jobcentre Plus programmes, as well as to summarise their judgements about the quality of learning sessions. The same scale is used to describe the quality of leadership and management, which includes equality of opportunity. The descriptors for the four grades are:

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Grading

• grade 1 – outstanding • grade 2 – good • grade 3 – satisfactory • grade 4 – inadequate

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Inspection report

Description of the provider 1 Overall effectiveness 2 Key challenges for HMP Peterborough (female) 2 Grades 3 About the inspection 4 What learners like about HMP Peterborough (female) 5 What learners feel HMP Peterborough (female) could improve 5

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Detailed inspection findings

Achievement and standards and the quality of provision 6 Teaching, training and learning 7 Range of provision 9 Guidance and support 10 Leadership and management 13 Annex 1: range of provision available to learners 15 HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

1. HMP Peterborough (the prison) was opened in March 2005 as a purpose-built prison which offers accommodation to male and female offenders in two separate regimes within the same perimeter wall. The prison is managed, under a contract to the Home Office, by Kalyx, which was formerly United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. The prison became fully operational in August 2005, and now serves as the country’s only dual-gender prison.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

2. The prison, which is situated on the outskirts of Peterborough, is a closed prison serving the needs of the community. The female prison receives offenders aged between 18 and 20 years on remand, and adult convicted offenders. From October 2006, it will become an HMP and young offender institution, and will accommodate up to 35 convicted young offenders.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

3. The operational capacity for women is 396 and includes a 12-bed mother and baby unit. The prison accommodates a wide range of offenders. Approximately 20 per cent of offenders are on remand or have not been sentenced. A similar proportion of offenders are serving sentences of less than a year, 33 per cent are serving sentences of between one and four years, and approximately 25 per cent are serving sentences greater than four years. Six offenders are serving life sentences.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

4. The prison typically receives between 20 and 30 new female offenders each week from a wide geographical area of the eastern region. The prison director has responded to ministerial enquiry and confirmed plans to introduce an appropriate curriculum for offenders from Wales.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

5. More than 80 per cent of offenders are aged between 26 and 40 years. Approximately 5 per cent of the offenders are under the age of 20 years, but there are no juveniles in the prison. Seventy-five per cent of the population is white, and 13 per cent of the population are foreign nationals.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

6. Core day-education and work activities take place mornings and afternoons during the week. There is no education or accredited training provision during the evenings or at weekends. A two-hour evening session is held fortnightly for offenders involved in producing the prison magazine.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

7. During inspection, 111 female offenders were registered to attend education. Most offenders attend part-time. One hundred and seventy-six women were engaged in non- accredited work activities, most of them part time, and 30 women were receiving accredited training as prison cleaners. No offenders are released on licence for work or to attend education.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

8. An education manager is responsible for the daily operation of the two education departments in the female and male areas of the prison. The department employed eight full-time tutors, two part-time tutors, and three sessional tutors, and most office staff teach in both departments. An administration officer is employed in each department.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

9. Library services are provided by Peterborough City Council. Each education department has a library which is staffed by a team of four library officers who are HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE supported by four orderlies. The library opens for eight sessions each week during education periods and for two evening sessions and Saturday mornings.

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OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Grade 4

10. The overall effectiveness of the provision is inadequate. The prison’s leadership and management of learning and skills in the prison are inadequate, as are its arrangements for equality of opportunity. The quality of provision in most aspects of employability and vocational training, of literacy, numeracy and language, and personal and social development is also inadequate.

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OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Grade 4

11. The inspection team was broadly confident in the reliability of the self-assessment process. The prison has recently introduced an annual quality improvement cycle which incorporates a timetabled calendar of events for self-assessment. Managers from different areas of the prison are involved effectively, and they receive adequate training to raise their awareness and understanding of self-assessment, based on the Common Inspection Framework. Current arrangements do not involve non-managerial staff, learners and other stakeholders sufficiently.

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OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Grade 4

12. The arrangements for self-assessment are fragmented and reports from different areas of the prison are not collated to provide a comprehensive overview of the provision from the perspective of the learner. Plans exist to introduce a learner-centred self-assessment report, which draws on evidence from all stakeholders in the provision of education and training.

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OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Grade 4

13. The findings of the self-assessment report match those of inspectors. Managers have a clear understanding of the issues and the areas for improvement. An appropriate action plan has been developed in response to the self-assessment report

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OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Grade 4

14. The prison has demonstrated that it has sufficient capacity to make improvements. Senior managers are committed to improving standards, and strategies for developing the education and training provision are detailed in the prison’s three-year development plan. The prison has only been operating for 18 months and it is too soon to evaluate several of the performance targets for education and training.

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OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Grade 4

15. The prison has not introduced several of its contractual requirements, such as the provision of a wide range of accredited vocational training. Currently, the measures introduced by the prison largely focus on increasing the number of offenders in learning in line with its contractual commitments, rather than improving the quality of the provision. The prison, however, has an established framework for quality improvement with identified timescales for introducing new measures and procedures.

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KEY CHALLENGES FOR HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE):

• achieve full commitment to education and training in all areas of the prison • increase the range and opportunities for the development of skills for life, vocational, personal and social skills • improve safe working practices in line with industry requirements • improve arrangements and processes to ensure that learners’ needs are being met in full, particularly allocation procedures HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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GRADES

grade1= outstanding, grade 2= good, grade 3= satisfactory, grade 4= inadequate

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Achievement and standards and the quality of provision 4

Contributory grades: Employability and vocational training 4 Literacy, numeracy and language support 4 Personal and social development 4

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Leadership and management 4

Contributory grades: Equality of opportunity 4

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

Number of inspectors 3 Number of inspection days 13 Number of learners interviewed 103 Number of staff interviewed 36 Number of locations/sites/learning centres visited 1 Number of partners/external agencies interviewed 1 Number of visits to the provider 1

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The following strengths and weaknesses were identified during this inspection:

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Strengths

• good awareness of the need to improve the provision within industries

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Weaknesses

• poor implementation of safe working practices in some activities • insufficient and inappropriate work opportunities to enable resettlement • no literacy and numeracy guidance and support in work activities

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Strengths

• good standard of work in learners’ key skills portfolios • good use of peer mentors as classroom assistants HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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Weaknesses

• delayed start to most sessions • many insufficiently stimulating and challenging sessions • insufficiently clear progression targets in lesson plans • insufficiently individual learning plans do not guide learning • poor provision to support additional learning needs

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Strengths

• good provision of alternative therapies • good information, advice and guidance for resettlement

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Weaknesses

• poor achievement and insufficient progress in most subjects • poor retention in most subjects • much time wasted at the beginning of lessons • very high staff turnover in education • narrow range of provision • poor information about provision • poor initial assessment process • poor use of individual learning plans

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Strengths

• good understanding of the wider strategic issues affecting education and training. • good procedures framework to support lines of communication and quality improvement

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Weaknesses

• restriction of the delivery and development of education and training • inadequate arrangements to allocate learners according to their needs • failure to achieve continuous quality improvement • incomplete development of partnerships with employers and industries • insufficient celebration of learners’ progress and achievements HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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WHAT LEARNERS LIKE ABOUT HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE):

• ‘I like doing ICT’ • the creative writing • the Bridge • ‘being outside’ • ‘treated with respect as part of the team in the kitchens’ • ‘learning how my body works in PE’

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COULD IMPROVE:

• available qualifications – ‘more stuff like certificates to go out with’ • session content – ‘more exciting lessons - some lessons are boring’ • resources – ‘more interesting education aids like videos, books, pictures and music’ • programme content – ‘more challenging and stimulating work to reflect my level’ • domestic arrangements – ‘provide tea and coffee at break times’ • available qualifications – ‘NVQs and certificates in activities in The Bridge’ • available provision – ‘more evening classes’ • facilities – ‘being able to shower after garden duties’ • resources – ‘better range of hair products in canteen’ • access – ‘shortening the length of time before being allocated to work’ • timetabling – ‘we never get to the library during wing times’ HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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Employability and vocational training

16. Very few accredited training programmes are available. Only physical education (PE) and industrial cleaning offer training which leads to qualifications. Achievements are satisfactory in these areas, and in industrial cleaning 239 offenders have achieved certificates since February 2006. Fifty-two of these were at preliminary level, 187 were at level 1 and 98 at level 2. In PE, 27 learners have achieved a level 1 gymnasium assistants’ qualification in the past 12 months, although records are not available to indicate the total number of learners who began the course.

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Employability and vocational training

17. Standards of cleanliness in the kitchens are good, and learners have a very clear understanding of the correct procedures necessary to carry out good cleaning activities. An external provider had trained 23 offenders in basic food hygiene, and 15 learners have achieved certificates.

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Employability and vocational training

18. Tutors and supervisors have implemented safe working practices poorly in some activities. In gardening, for example, learners move overloaded wheelie bins and lift and move heavy bags inappropriately, and without suitable protective clothing. Training arrangements for manual handling are inadequate, and in some cases learners have received no training. Learners are not allowed to shower after completing gardening duties, although many needed to do so to maintain good standards of hygiene. Safety standards in hairdressing are poor and learners show poor working practices. Hair colourings are not measured to ensure that the correct proportions are used. Hairdressing staff are not qualified appropriately to provide training.

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Employability and vocational training

19. Generally, not enough emphasis is given to enabling learners to achieve qualifications. The contract service workshop, in which offenders construct and pack hair nets, offers no accredited training. Offenders acting as receptionists and trainee beauty and holistic therapists receive training in skills development, but there is no recognition of their achievements and skills.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

20. The standard of work displayed in learners’ key skills portfolios is good. The key skills in communication programme, which leads to national certificates at level 1 and 2, is popular with learners and they receive good advice and support from their tutor. The learners’ portfolios clearly indicate learners’ depth of knowledge and enthusiasm for their chosen topics. The portfolios show good use of computers to achieve very good standards of presentation. Achievement levels and the retention of key skills learners on this programme are good. During the past six months, of more than 50 learners who began, 50 per cent achieved the full qualification or passed the end test, and 50 per cent remain on programme.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

21. The achievement level of qualifications in literacy and numeracy is satisfactory, although in numeracy there is no opportunity for learners to achieve qualifications at entry level 1, and in literacy, learners do not sit tests at entry level. During the past 12 HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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Literacy, language and numeracy

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE months, of the 399 learners who began literacy courses at level 1 and 2, 81 are still on programme, and 260 achieved the full qualification. In numeracy, 443 learners began at level 1 and 2, of whom 212 achieved a qualification. At entry level 2 and 3, less than 50 per cent of learners who began numeracy courses achieved a qualification. No learner has achieved English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualifications. These courses do not offer learners the chance to sit tests.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

22. Most sessions have delayed starts, and many classes begin 20 minutes late or more. Generally, neither staff nor learners show a sense of urgency, and late arrivals are not challenged. Learners’ attendance is monitored, but tutors are often unaware why learners are absent, and they are not always sure who will be present in their sessions. Attendance is erratic, and in many cases the number of learners attending is different from the number expected. Often, the published lists of learners allocated daily to sessions do not tally with the registers held by tutors.

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Personal and social development

23. Learners make little progress and their achievements on most courses are poor. A small number of learners gain multiple Open College Network certificates, but most of the learners do not work towards any qualifications. Some learners produce good work in art and creative writing, and most of them participate. Some contribute to the prison magazine. The art department is regularly successful in the Koestler awards. Learners make little progress in other subjects.

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Personal and social development

24. The retention of learners on most courses is poor. For example, in citizenship and personal development, only 50 per cent of those who began the courses completed them. Tutors never know how many learners will attend, and are unable to plan sessions properly. There are learners in each session who did not choose to be there, and have no intention of co-operating. They leave the courses without completing them. This can be, and often is, disruptive to other learners who want to learn. In preparation for work, for example, few learners attend for more than one or two sessions. Each session must cater for new arrivals, who may or may not have chosen to be there, and who may or may not attend the next week. Tutors must arrange for each session to work in isolation, rather than planning a whole course.

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Employability and vocational training

25. A very recent introduction of a new structured timetable in PE has created more opportunities for offenders, including mothers and toddlers. Training in the accredited programme has been well received, but resources to provide the background knowledge for the programme are very restricted.

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Employability and vocational training

26. Twenty-two offenders assist in preparing daily meals for the female and male prisons. Training is carried out in a variety of appropriate activities, such as the use of cookers, cleaning, and basic food preparation. All activities are well documented in individual training records, but learners’ progress records are incomplete, and supervisors have no clear overview of the training received by each learner or their skills levels. None of the training is accredited and achievements are not celebrated.

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Employability and vocational training

27. Industrial cleaning programmes are completed in two weeks, and it is common for the training and assessment for three course modules to be completed in a single three- hour session. The brevity of this programme does not give assurance of learners’ HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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Employability and vocational training

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE understanding and retention of knowledge and skills as part of working practices. The prison’s policy is for all offenders working in the kitchens, and those working as cleaners, to complete the cleaning programme before starting work. However, this does not always happen and this situation is not monitored as a matter of routine.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

28. Many of the sessions are not sufficiently stimulating and challenging. Tutors face daily difficulties in planning work for individual learners. Often, tutors are unaware which learners will be attending sessions, and do not have sufficient information about new learners’ prior learning and achievements. In one literacy session a learner with an entry level 3 certificate quickly became frustrated when faced with group tasks which were suited to learners at entry level 1 and 2.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

29. Tutors prepare learning materials for use in class, but there is too much emphasis on paper-based materials. In some cases, worksheets are produced in several colours to make them more attractive, and in other cases, especially for pre-entry ESOL learners, tutors produce their own materials in response to the needs of the learners. Generally, however, learners are bored with the frequent use of worksheets and would prefer more class discussions to stimulate ideas, express opinions and describe experiences.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

30. Generally, the relationships between the tutors and the learners are cordial, and there is mutual respect. Learners begin work promptly once they had arrived in class, albeit late. However, several learners did not enjoy being in classes and they quickly became disinterested in the set work tasks and their rate of progress was slow. Several learners had low expectations of achieving qualifications, and did not have the ambition and determination to learn and achieve.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

31. The accommodation for education is bright and spacious, and information posters are displayed in the classrooms. However, there is very little display of learners’ work to celebrate their achievements and to motivate others. The classrooms are adequately resourced and there are good computing facilities, although these are seldom used outside ICT lessons.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

32. Lesson plans do not incorporate clear targets for individual progress. Comprehensive and detailed schemes of work exist, and these are used by tutors to ensure that all course topics are covered adequately. Lesson plans are matched to the schemes of work, but they do not refer to each specific group of learners, and they do not identify learning objectives for individual learners. Learners’ progress reviews and the setting and revising of learning goals do not take place as a matter of routine. The records of learners’ achievements and progress are poor.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

33. Individual learning plans are not specific enough to the individual, and they do not guide learning. In many cases, learning and achievement targets in the individual learning plans are the same for all learners, regardless of their prior experience and achievement. Many recorded learning goals are too vague to be of use in guiding learning and measuring learners’ progress. The results from initial assessments are not used sufficiently. In most individual learning plans, no further reference is made to this information, apart from recording learners’ skills levels.

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Personal and social development

34. The prison provides some good alternative therapy programmes, which include positive thinking, and yoga, in ‘The Bridge’. Learners who attend these sessions speak HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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Personal and social development

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE very highly of them. Tutors are skilled and experienced, and good at involving learners who may have very short attention spans. Planning difficulties have been encountered in the education department. Offenders have been allocated to sessions that they did not choose. Teaching and learning have been disrupted. Lessons begin late, and learners who have to leave the department for an appointment, or to have medical treatment, are rarely brought back to education afterwards.

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Personal and social development

35. The turnover of staff in education has been high. Continuity in learning has been disrupted. Eighteen members of staff have left the education department since the prison opened. Agency staff are used frequently to cover lessons when teaching staff leave. Learners have been taught by several different tutors during their courses.

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Employability and vocational training

36. The activity team is well aware of the need to improve the provision within industries. This has been achieved by working well as a team, and having good communications. The team has clearly identified the strengths and weaknesses of all the activity areas that they are responsible for. Detailed action plans are being produced and the first one concerns The Links area. Costs are included and most targets for achievement are set against suitable timescales.

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Employability and vocational training

37. There are not enough work and education places to occupy all offenders full time. Arrangements for allocating offenders to activities are not effective. Those offenders wishing to do PE and industrial cleaning can wait many weeks to be allocated. The resources in the gymnasium do not support the provision of a level 2 programme. The routine provision of training in basic food hygiene, health and safety at work, and manual handling and safe lifting is not part of the curriculum for education and training.

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Employability and vocational training

38. The range of work activities is very restricted, and much of the work does not provide adequate skills to support resettlement. Not enough activities are available to provide learners with the employability skills needed to help reduce the risk of re- offending. In many instances, especially in the contract service workshops, the work is repetitive and low-skilled and requires minimal training. These activities do not help learners to gain meaningful employment when they are released.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

39. Many learners complained that they had to attend particular classes in education, and that there was not enough choice. Generally, learners feel that the range of programmes on offer is too restricted and focuses too much on English and mathematics. There are no opportunities to receive key skills training in the workshops. Some offenders receive literacy and numeracy support on the residential wings, but this provision consists of only one session each week. The support tutor is not available for long enough to meet the demands of learners wishing to learn outside the education department. Some learners receive in-cell support in literacy and numeracy from other offenders who act as learning support tutors, but this support is largely unmonitored and its effectiveness is not routinely evaluated by education staff.

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Literacy, language and numeracy

40. Few opportunities are available for learners to achieve qualifications, especially those below level 1. Priority is given to learners at level 1 and 2, and greater importance is placed on learners achieving certificates at level 1 and 2, in line with contract targets. Female learners are not able study independently for skills for life using learndirect. HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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Literacy, language and numeracy

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 41. At the time of inspection, 34 female offenders were foreign nationals, of whom 12 were attending ESOL classes. The number of places for ESOL learners is sufficient to meet demand, although this is only achieved by providing classes which include groups of learners of very mixed abilities. There are no opportunities for ESOL learners to work in groups with learners of similar abilities and there are no opportunities for learners to achieve ESOL qualifications. In most ESOL classes, learners worked independently on worksheets. Group discussions are not used sufficiently to develop verbal skills.

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Personal and social development

42. The range of provision for offenders’ personal and social development is restricted. There is art and creative writing, and a writer-in-residence, but no music, drama, cookery or housekeeping provision. A new Spanish language class was postponed before the inspection. Although the prison has a mother and baby unit, there is no family learning or parentcraft provision. The prison does not teach or demonstrate basic modern domestic skills, such as separating and recycling waste.

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Personal and social development

43. The Islamic studies programme is not available during Ramadan, and there is no other faith provision, although there has been an Alpha course. The offender management programmes have been discontinued, even though some offenders have them on their sentence plans. The alternative therapy provision caters for only a very small number of learners. There is a waiting list of about five weeks, although the discrepancy between the number of learners expected, and those who actually turn up leaves places to spare on the programme.

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Employability and vocational training

44. There is no literacy and numeracy support in any of the activities. Some offenders are referred to attend education, but many refuse to go. They receive no support to access skills for life, which is the government’s strategy on training in literacy, numeracy and the use of language, even in cases where the need has been identified by initial assessment. Key skills training has not been introduced into the workshops or work areas.

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Employability and vocational training

45. The prison’s regime does not provide a suitable training programme to prepare offenders for work, education and training on their release. There is no recycling of any waste products within the prison. Offenders are not taught or encouraged to learn to separate waste as in domestic households. The prison has no programmes to meet the skills shortages in areas such as care and catering.

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Literacy, numeracy and language

46. Generally, learners are adequately supported in the classroom, although in some cases there are delays in responding to learners’ needs. In some sessions, tutors are supported by offenders acting as learning support assistants. The use of peer mentors within the education department is good. It provides a satisfying experience for those acting as learning support assistants, as well as providing additional support for learners. One offender, who has a level 3 teaching in further education certificate, was being employed effectively as a classroom assistant in ICT, and marking the initial assessments of new learners. However, in some cases the learning support assistants are used to HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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Literacy, numeracy and language

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE cover for absent teaching staff, often without direct supervision, and the quality of these offender-led sessions is inconsistent.

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Literacy, numeracy and language

47. Arrangements for initially assessing learners’ literacy, language and numeracy skills are poorly managed. In many cases there are no planned assessment sessions as part of induction, and new offenders are given assessments to complete unsupervised on the wings. The completed tests are often marked by unqualified offenders acting as learning support assistants. In most cases, the results of the tests are not used to plan learning and ensure that learners’ needs are met.

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Literacy, numeracy and language

48. A more detailed, computer-based initial assessment exists which can be used to produce a diagnostic assessment for learners at level 2. ESF funding exists for this process, but there is no strategy to indicate who should undergo the assessment, and what should be done with the results. In practice, this assessment is completed by learners above level 1 who choose to attend the ICT classes. Tutors sometimes use the information provided because it is to be found more easily and quickly than the information from the first initial assessment.

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Literacy, numeracy and language

49. The prison’s provision to support learners with additional learning needs is poor. There are no specialist support tutors, and no formal arrangements to provide in-class support to individual learners. Classes contain groups of learners with a very wide range of abilities and experience, and tutors are poorly prepared to meet individual support needs. Some individual support sessions, lasting typically for 10 to 20 minutes, are provided to learners on the wings, but there are no similar sessions in the education department. The prison has no provision for specialist equipment for learners with disabilities and learning difficulties, and computers are not used sufficiently to support learning.

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Literacy, numeracy and language

50. Many learners complained about the restricted opportunities to use the library. Although access to the library during education hours is satisfactory, very few learners are able to visit the library outside these hours. There is a timetable for visits from offenders on the wings, but attendance records show that many sessions are unattended. Library resources to support learning are restricted. The book stock consists of fictional material, and there are few books to support the learning of foreign nationals and learners with low reading skills.

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Personal and social development

51. The information, advice and guidance provision in ‘The Link’, which is to help people prepare for discharge, is good. A range of external agencies, which includes Jobcentre Plus, provide specialist support services. The manager of this service works hard to promote the provision to offenders, and to encourage them to keep their appointments. There is a wide selection of brochures, leaflets and flyers about the opportunities available, but offenders are not allowed in the area without appointments and cannot access this information.

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Personal and social development

52. The information about ‘The Bridge’ is also promoted by the manager, but there is no printer available and no access to a laminating machine. It is not always possible to produce information in a form which can be displayed on the wing. Most of the information about this provision is shared by word of mouth.

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Personal and social development

53. Not enough information, advice and guidance about education is provided for offenders. There is insufficient written information about the courses on offer. The prison does not share any information regarding the objectives, duration or entry HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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Personal and social development

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE requirements of any of the personal and social education provision with the learners. There are plans to produce a handbook for learners, but this is not yet available. The offender who has responsibility for inducting other offenders into education does not have sufficient written information about the courses, or about some of the available programmes. Nevertheless, she provides advice with great sensitivity and understanding.

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Personal and social development

54. The initial assessment process is poor. Initial assessment by the education department consists solely of the distribution of a form for offenders to fill in by themselves, on the wing. It is marked by orderlies, and their scores for literacy and numeracy are given to the offenders in writing with no explanation. There is no face-to- face element of initial assessment. For offenders who are assessed as being below level 1, the form containing their results also includes a standard sentence which recommends that they attend education. There is no follow-up or discussion with learners. The initial assessment process does not assess above level 1.

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Personal and social development

55. Individual learning plans are used poorly by staff and learners. Individual learning plans have only just been introduced and do not include information from learners’ initial assessments. Generally, the learning plans are not individual enough, and they are not used to plan programmes of learning. In a few classes, learners are encouraged to think about their objectives for each session, and evaluate what they have learnt at the end. In most cases, however, this does not take place. HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Grade 4

56. At management level there is good understanding of the wider strategic issues affecting learning and skills. A self-assessment process has been carried out at senior manager level. The findings match those of the inspection and clearly identify areas for improvement. The self-assessment findings have been incorporated into a three-year business plan and an associated action plan to achieve the prison’s strategic goals for education and training. Managers displayed an openness and honesty in their evaluation of the prison’s performance. They recognise their failings in meeting several of the requirements of the prison’s Home Office contract, especially in meetings targets for the introduction of a curriculum for education and training that is adequate to meet the needs of the offenders. Their understanding of the issues is being used effectively, as they begin to introduce new operational measures for improvements.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Grade 4

57. Managers have introduced a good procedures framework to support lines of communication and quality improvement. Communications within the prison are good. Timetabled meetings for managers occur frequently, and include daily operational managers meetings and weekly meetings for departmental managers. Resettlement management meetings are held monthly, and a monthly resettlement newsletter is circulated to all staff. Quarterly meetings for managers of the three prisons managed by Kalyx enable the exchange of ideas and the sharing of information and good practice.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Grade 4

58. Quality improvement is managed by the corporate head of learning and skills who visits the prison fortnightly. He has frequent contact with the head of resettlement and provides support, advice and guidance, links to other prisons and updates managers on employment and training news from the community. Monthly quality improvement group meetings are held, and membership of the group has expanded this year to include the chaplaincy, industries and healthcare. Where appropriate, external partners have been invited to attend meetings and speak to the group on topics of interest.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Grade 4

59. The delivery and development of education and training is severely restricted. The present Home Office contract was drawn up three years before the prison was opened. Many changes have taken place in the operational arrangements of the prison in response to Home Office needs, such as increases in the population and changes to the categories of offenders. The current contract places great emphasis on the achievement of targets for the delivery of learner hours. The various regimes are finding it difficult to achieve these targets, and managerial procedures have been implemented to improve the volume of education, training and work activities, without ensuring the quality of delivery. In many cases, what is delivered is of poor quality and falls well short of meeting the needs of the learners.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Grade 4

60. Arrangements for allocating learners to education, training and work do not meet the needs of the learners. Offenders are allocated to activities daily. This is done by one administrative officer for all male and female offenders. The present arrangements are inadequate and do not ensure that offenders are placed in activities which meet their preferences, their needs, or the requirements of their sentence plans. Frequently, offenders are sent to education who do not want to be there. In other cases, where particular requirements, such as attending anger management programmes, are identified as part of sentence planning, offenders frequently experience undue delays in allocation to these programmes. Offenders complain of being sent to inappropriate activities and many arrive in education with little intention of improving their skills or completing the courses. HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Grade 4

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 61. A situation of continuous quality improvement has not yet been achieved, although the prison has a quality improvement policy which is incorporated into an annual cycle of procedures, to include self-assessment. Some offender consultation exercises and course evaluations have taken place, but the results have not been used effectively. Staff appraisal procedures are satisfactory and there are dedicated budgets to support staff training. However, staff do not understand and support the prison’s strategic vision and improvement strategy sufficiently. Managers recognise the need for more staff development and training. Arrangements for classroom observations have been introduced and there are clear guidelines for observers to allow them to be consistent in practice. These arrangements are new, and many staff have not been observed yet. So far, classroom observations have had little effect on improving the quality of teaching.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Grade 4

62. The prison’s partnerships with employers and industries are not fully developed. Attempts by managers to become involved with local and national employers as part of the resettlement strategy to increase training opportunities have been largely unsuccessful. This aspect of the prison’s resettlement work is weak and the prison does not have enough lines of communication with employers to enable offenders to be referred to them as part of their preparation for release.

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 4

63. A recent change in policy has allowed an entitlement of two-weekly education sessions to all learners who request it. This has been introduced to increase equality of opportunity and to improve attendance, but it is too soon to assess the effects of this initiative. Recent changes have been made to the wages system for offenders, to ensure parity in all activities and remove the disincentives to attend education which are created by lower pay. Managers are introducing a no smoking policy in the prison’s education and work areas from November 2006. Currently, poorly ventilated corridors in the education department, which are used for break periods, become filled with smoke and are unsuitable for non-smokers and pregnant women. No tea and coffee facilities are available to learners in education, although these facilities are available in other training and work areas. Generally, differentiation and diversity are not promoted

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 4

sufficiently in learning sessions. Equality and diversity issues are not incorporated into programmes where appropriate.

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 4

64. The prison does not celebrate learners’ progress and achievements sufficiently. The work and progress of offenders is not celebrated, except in PE. An awards ceremony was held during the inspection for group of women who had successfully completed a team-building project. Learners’ work is not displayed enough, and there are few occasions when learners’ progress and achievements are recognised.

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 4

65. There are not enough places to allow full-time employment. Twenty-one per cent of offenders are allocated to full-time activities. The range of books in the library is very limited, and does not reflect the diversity of the prison population. There are few books to encourage the development of reading at all levels. Some leaflets giving information about drugs and alcohol are available in The Links in a number of different languages, but offenders cannot access The Links unless they have an appointment to see one of the external agencies. HMP PETERBOROUGH (FEMALE)

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RANGE OF PROVISION AVAILABLE TO LEARNERS

At the time of the inspection, 44.5 per cent of offenders were engaged in accredited learning and 50.8 per cent were engaged in structured non-accredited learning. Their distribution is as follows:

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RANGE OF PROVISION AVAILABLE TO LEARNERS

Learning and skills activity Levels Provider Number of current learners Additional notes

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RANGE OF PROVISION AVAILABLE TO LEARNERS

Literacy Levels 1 and prison 97 Accredited courses (OCR and AQA) National certificates Numeracy Levels 1 and prison 51 National certificates Accredited course (OCR, AQA) ESOL Entry levels prison 12 Accredited (OCN) Key skills Level 1 and 2 prison 20 Portfolios ICT Level 1 prison 47 New CLAIT Accredited (OCR) Gym Instructors’ Level 1 prison 13 Focus, YMCA Industrial cleaning Level 1and 2 prison 24 British Institute of Cleaning Sciences Catering Level 1 prison 22 No accreditation Gardens Entry level prison 24 No accreditation Hairdressing Level 1 5 No accreditation Independent living skills programmes Level 1 prison 9 Accredited (OCN and ASET) (personal development, budgeting, citizenship.) Art Level 1 prison 42 No accreditation Note: some offenders are attending more that one learning programme *denotes provision included in the inspection sample

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