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Education

Education is delivered within an integrated, constructive regime to provide programmes which concentrate on raising basic skills levels of literacy, numeracy and ICT, employability and personal development. It also helps to prepare inmates for living back in the community

Normally, courses are designed, delivered and assessed to national standards and, where possible, lead to qualifications provided by national awarding bodies.

Key elements:

  • Initial screening and continuous assessment of individual needs.
  • Personal learning plans and progress/achievement records.
  • A curriculum that includes a mandatory core of Essential Skills for Life (i.e. Literacy and Numeracy). Key Skills where appropriate, personal, social and citizenship skills, employability skills, GCSE, post-GCSE and third level courses where appropriate and Arts and creative activities.
  • Educational guidance and support.

Examples of good/innovative practice in this area:

  • AQA Unit Awards to enable short-stay inmates to obtain nationally accredited qualifications across a broad range of interests, generally at a basic level.
  • Partnerships with other services, i.e. Prison Resettlement Units, Probation, Psychology, Medical, P.E., to deliver a range of programmes, e.g. Enhanced Thinking Skills, Food Hygiene for Hospital Orderlies.
  • Partnerships with local colleges of further and higher education, e.g. between Magilligan and Limavady College to provide Essential Skills and between Magilligan, the College and the University of Ulster to provide access courses into third level education.
  • Partnership with the Open University to provide a wide range of third level courses and qualifications.
  • Partnerships with local Library Boards to supply library services.
  • Partnerships with Prison Arts Foundation to deliver Arts activities.
  • Compliance with Council of Europe Recommendation No. R(89)12 on the provision of education in prison and strong links with EPEA (European Prison Education Association).

New developments:

  • The opening of a new state-of the-art Learning and Skills Centre at Maghaberry Prison in November 2011. The new centre aims to co-ordinate the scheduling of all Learning and Skills delivery to ensure workshops, education and other offender management programmes complement each other and systematically provide a range of developmental and motivational activities in surroundings more conducive to embedded learning. The Learning and Skills Centre delivers training in a new ‘campus-style’ centre that can accommodate up to 100 students in education-based studies. The Centre is resourced to provide a range of therapeutic programmes and opportunities to encourage and engage all students – including vulnerable clients through activities such as music, catering, arts and crafts and ceramic-making and barbering
  • Active involvement in Northern Ireland Essential Skills Strategy since its inception via DEL, ETI, CCEA, etc. Presently engaged in pilot of the new assessment and accreditation regime for learners at levels one and two.
  • Video-link between Magilligan and N.E. Institute to provide CAD qualification - to be extended to Basic Skills and Sage Business.
  • Collaboration with Surestart and Prison Arts Foundation at Hydebank Wood (Young Offenders) to run 'Parenting Programme for Young Men'.
  • European partnerships with various European prison education providers via the Grundtvig (Socrates) Lifelong Learning Programme, e.g. at Maghaberry lead partner in the MABEL project, a 3-year multi-disciplinary approach to Adult Basic Education, which addresses the need to improve literacy standards across a number of European countries - the second annual edition of its collaborative magazine 'Open Doors' in August 2004.