Using a project approach to engage learners
Older prisoner project at HMP Rye Hill:
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The 60+ population is the fastest growing in prison.
Can be vey institutionalized and hard to engage.
Many have no network or family support. Some prisoners so despondent they
breach to go back inside as
Many will want to relocate after release to new area.
HMP Rye Hill is B cat prison for sex offenders – about 50% of population is over 50
yrs old.
‘Employability’ is less meaningful an outcome for this group.
English and maths levels generally low – 52% were below level 1.
Lots of mental health issues and physical disability health issues.
Worked with OCR to develop qualifications accordingly.
Combined progression with English and maths with life skills.
Revamped industries workshops to include classrooms.
Increasing opportunities to engage through IT, art, craft, reading group etc.
A collaborative approach between prison and OCR to meet the specific needs of
the population – need a shared vision.
Help identify prisoners who need to be on an ACCT and signpost to unit qualified to
support them.
Programme can be taught across department by different tutors.
Aim is to build an aspirational self – to want to start to do more. Often start
reluctantly but activities engage them. We get them thinking about making the
most of their leisure time in the community – what activities they can do. It raises
their confidence, motivation and self-aspiration.
Thinking about digital futures also necessary for this group – what to expect on
release such as swipe cards, self service check outs etc.
The exact curriculum is flexible but must include elements of life and living skills,
arts and crafts, personal skills such as healthy living and making the most of leisure
time.
Lack of access to internet can make it hard to teach digital skills.
Open learning and distance learning can be good for this group to support learning
above level 2.
OCR provides resources for practitioners on website.
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NIACE Citizen’s Curriculum:
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NIACE wants to improve adult literacy and numeracy. 1 in 4 adults have low
levels of numeracy. 1 in 6 have low levels of literacy.
Hard to engage many of these adults so need more flexible, creative and
innovative models to motivate learners and meet challenge of poor language,
literacy, numeracy and digital skills.
Citizen’s Curriculum is about learning locally either a geographical area or a
setting/context.
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The curriculum is designed with the active participation of learners and interlinks
life skills with literacy and numeracy. The capabilities include: health (including
mental health), financial, digital and civic capabilities (participation)
Capabilities rather than ‘skills’ – implies acting not just learning it and doing
nothing with it.
Background to the project was the Inquiry into Lifelong learning by Tom Schuller
and David Watson.
Evidence of importance of embedding basic skills and also co-design of
curriculum.
NIACE ran pilot projects, some in prisons.
No top down approach – let people design their own – based on NIACE principles.
Ran in HMP Deerbolt (short IT course for young offenders and a project for civic
capability by developing mentoring) and HMP Ranby (embedded language,
literacy and digital in mentoring).
HMP New Hall – women’s’ prison also ran a pilot.. Idea was that vocational
programmes would be linked to literacy and language development and reflected
on their experiences in journals.
Key impact at New Hall was it enabled learners to recognise wider transferable
skills gained through learning and reflect how they would use these on release.
Improved attitudes and motivation towards learning.
Across the three prison pilots the citizen’s curriculum added value through
interlinking, was more responsive to learner needs, practitioners liked linking it
to everyday lives and the flexibility, learners had improved attitudes to learning
especially English and maths.
More pilots are planned with different groups such as young migrants.
Further practitioner support being developed around health and civic
capabilities.
Look at learner and follow their lead rather than vice versa.
Challenges are gaining PSD funding to support this – hope Gove review will
increase flexibility of funding for PSD. Other challenge includes lack of
reflection time for teachers in prison.