If there’s one set piece in the educational calendar that is guaranteed to garner headlines, it’s the release of Ofsted’s annual report. Ever since the late Chris Woodhead denounced 15,000 teachers as incompetent in 1995, the event has generated column inches aplenty, not least during the tenure of Sir Michael Wilshaw.
His successor as chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, has been at pains to offer a more measured tone. And it is a shame that one of the most important messages from her first report, published last year, was almost entirely overlooked. She highlighted an area where “the failings are greater than any area I’ve yet touched on” - that of secure training centres and young offender institutions.
Spielman noted “increasing levels of violence and poor educational outcomes”, adding: “Without proper education and training, we are coming close to passing de facto life sentences on juvenile offenders.”
Education in custody is by far the lowest-performing part of the FE sector: Ofsted gave 44 per cent of prisons a “requires improvement” or “inadequate” rating in 2016-17. The cost to society of reoffending amounts to a staggering £15 billion each year, according to the Ministry of Justice, which yesterday released its education and employment strategy. The fingerprints of former justice secretary Michael Gove can be seen throughout, not least in devolving control of education provision to governors, similar to the push to give schools flexibility through the academies programme.
Whether prison governors are best placed to set education strategy and commission provision is open to question. But what is apparent is that change is needed. Some imaginative plans - including allowing prisoners to train towards an apprenticeship while in prison and complete the programme upon release, with a “guaranteed job and income” - offer potential.
One thing about prison education is clear: if we are to avoid more criticism from Ofsted, not to mention thousands more lives being wasted behind bars, doing nothing is not an option.
