Ofsted has rated the quality of teaching at Low Newton women’s prison as ‘good’, a rare result for a prison.
Ofsted and HM Inspectorate of Prisons sent a joint team to the County Durham prison last November. The inspection was unannounced. The inspectorates published their findings in February.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor’s report noted that education at Low Newton earned a good grade across the board.
The education findings said that women “enjoyed learning in calm and orderly classrooms”. Inspectors also found that warm and positive feedback motivated them.
Novus, the prison’s contracted education provider, leads the service for women learners. Its work covers English and maths functional skills and vocational and accredited courses. Novus also helps people build skills for employment and supports learners with additional needs.
Ofsted praised Novus teachers and other staff for their experience, their qualifications and the support they gave learners. Attendance was strong and had improved since the previous inspection. Learners showed high motivation.
Ofsted said the curriculum and learning environment led a “high proportion” of women to finish courses and gain qualifications. It found that “a significant proportion” were in work six months after release.
Wider evidence supports the value of prison education. In 2022, a Ministry of Justice report looked at reoffending in the year after release. People who had studied in prison proved 7.5 per cent less likely to reoffend in those 12 months than people who had not.
Peter Cox, managing director of Novus, said high-quality education for people in custody could change futures and benefit wider society.
He acknowledged challenges in prison education, including the continuing effects of gang violence and wider shortages of prison staff. He described the Ofsted report as independent confirmation of the impact of Novus’s work and the dedication of its teachers.
Mr Cox said Novus had launched several new initiatives in recent months. These covered Low Newton and the other UK institutions it works with. The aim was to raise the standard of its teaching and support still further.
At Low Newton, these included schemes to improve reading ability and enjoyment. They include book challenges, ‘blind date with a book’ and reading groups. Classrooms and residential wings also now have ‘libraries in a basket’.
