About our prison services

Claire Atkins is the Group’s Lead Director for Prison Services, overseeing a national portfolio of Ministry of Justice and private estate prison education contracts. She is responsible for ensuring that learners across the prison system receive high quality education that reduces reoffending and supports progression into meaningful employment.

She brings extensive senior leadership experience from large international private sector organisations, with a background in organisational transformation, business development, crisis management and multi-agency collaboration. This experience underpins her ability to lead teams through complex change while maintaining a strong people centred focus. Claire has a track record in delivering strategic initiatives that improve productivity, enhance performance and support regulatory compliance.

Driven by a commitment to making a meaningful difference, Claire places learners and staff at the heart of her leadership. Her focus on operational excellence, continuous improvement and shared purpose ensures the Group creates lasting impact for the people and communities it serves.

Mark is currently the Implementation Director, overseeing the introduction of our 10 new prisons based in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. He started his career in Hotel Management after studying Hospitality at his local FE College. After working as an industry trainer for hospitality, he switched across to the world of FE and has focused on several areas, including Business Admin, Retail, Hospitality, Teacher Education, Schools Partnerships, and Community Projects. He developed his skills by managing education in a Hospital School, Young People’s Homeless Centre, and a provision for excluded school children.

Following this, he moved into the management of Prison Education and has managed the provision in over 50 prisons across the country covering all types of prison, including young people, Young Offenders, Adult Male (Cat A, B, C, D and Therapeutic), Women, Foreign National, Private and Immigration Removal. He started to work for us at Milton Keynes College in 2015 and has been an integral part of the prison leadership team ever since.