Teachers and managers from Milton Keynes College Group have been graded Good by Ofsted for their work with offenders at Fosse Way Prison; one of only 7% of establishments across England to obtain a Good grade.  This is an incredible achievement for all at HMP Fosse Way following a challenging period for prisons in recent years.  

It’s especially satisfying for the staff involved because they launched the education service at Fosse Way when it opened two years ago.  Rob Hawkins, the College Group’s Contract Manager for Prison Services was part of the initial team who mobilised HMP Fosse Way.  He says, “It’s really emotional for the colleagues here, because for a long time HMP Fosse Way has been a big part of our lives.  We were responsible for how everything, from how many tables and chairs do we need in which rooms and what pens and paper to buy, right the way up to designing and running the curriculum for our Learners, for us to get a good grade here is really such a boost for everyone in recognition for their hard work.” 

The College Group’s Lead Director for Prison Services, Claire Atkins, says, “The achievement is all the greater when you bear in mind that Fosse Way is a really big prison, which can make effective education a lot harder to achieve.  We’ve got more than 70 staff here spread across two different areas.  Some of them had never worked in education before they came here, and some had never been inside a prison, so we have to thank each and every one of them for getting to grips with the job as well as they have.” 

Rob and Claire are also full of praise for SERCO, the private company that runs Fosse Way.  “You’ve got to have a stable and secure prison before you can hope to make education work,” Rob says, “and they deserve huge credit for that.” 

The Ofsted inspectors praised the team for providing a wide curriculum from entry level courses up to Master’s degrees.  They also said there were good links with employers, helping create courses that would help offenders into work when they finished their sentences, writing that the, “range of academic and vocational pathways reflected both labour market gaps and priorities, as well as prisoners’ interests and job aspirations.” 

The College is committed to building fairer futures for all learners.  Its Information, Advice and Guidance team and Employment Coordinators work with Serco and other partners to provide learners with opportunities both during their time at Fosse Way and on release.  HMIP inspectors noted that “a range of committed and experienced staff and partners supported resettlement work… The combined efforts of these teams had led to many positive outcomes for prisoners.”  

Claire says, “Prisoners will say to you, ‘when I’m in the education areas it doesn’t feel like I’m in prison,’ which is really lovely.  The library and classrooms and workshops have a real Further Education feel to them, almost as if we’re working in just another campus of Milton Keynes College.” 

Prisoners can choose from an extraordinary range of qualifications, including employability, skills, business, teacher training, art, warehousing, plastering, painting and decorating, carpentry, brick laying, finance and many more. 

Claire and Rob say their greatest satisfaction comes when they receive letters from former learners who have finished their sentences and are out in the world, in jobs, living better lives.  “That’s when you see the passion of the staff being repaid,” Claire says.  “They can see they’ve made a real difference to someone, and there’s just no better feeling.” 

To find out more about prison services from MK College Group, visit Prison Services – MK College