StandOut evidence published by Education Committee

StandOut evidence on prison education has been published by Education Committee

StandOut has submitted evidence to the Education Committee’s inquiry ‘Education: Are prisoners being left behind?’ The inquiry is examining how current arrangements support learners in custody and how well prison education delivers the skills needed by employers.

Our response is informed by the experiences and voices of men with lived experience of education inside prison, together with StandOut’s three years’ experience of delivering its programmes in London prisons.

“There is often a misunderstanding in prisons of what employers want from an employee. Whilst practical skills are important for many vocational roles, many employers are willing to teach these on the job and instead place more significance on people having the
positive attitude and mindsets needed to make successful and reliable employees. ”

We have seen some brilliant individual examples of innovation and excellence in prison education. In our evidence we highlight some of the system barriers to delivering education within an, often unpredictable, prison regime. We also call for more investment in courses and workshops that ignite aspirations and develop self-belief through interactive and engaging content.

Read our full evidence here.