5C: How is success in leadership and management recognised?
The following extracts from HMIP inspection reports illustrate effective practice in leadership and management.
Appraisal of staff in the education department is effectively managed by the college’s education manager and linked to staff development. Staff are encouraged to broaden their skills and many of them are training to teach literacy and numeracy. Observations of teaching take place at least once a year and new staff are monitored and observed frequently during their first three months of employment. Schemes of work and course files are held centrally and routinely checked by the education manager. […] Effective relationships and respect exist between staff and learners. An atmosphere of good humour and purposeful activity pervades the department.
Curriculum management for foundation programmes is good, offering a range of classes of various levels, times and locations.
The quality assurance of education programmes is good. Good procedures are applied consistently and to good effect. Reviews of courses are regular and helped by feedback from staff and the learners.
Good practice in promoting equal opportunities was demonstrated through the celebration of black history month. This included a display by black writers, and related posters as a prominent feature in the library.
Staff produced a basic skills development plan in September 2001, which was expanded and updated following self-assessment in spring 2002. […] Informal staff meetings are held every day, and they are very effective at airing and resolving issues as they arise. The atmosphere within the centre is relaxed and productive, and it facilitates learning. Learners are treated with respect, and the relationship between staff and learners is one of equals.
Strategic leadership of education and training at the prison is strong. There is a clear vision for the development of very good provision at the prison that will develop learners’ skills and confidence, and help them prepare for resettlement. […] Management of education and training is good. It is well organised and well co-ordinated and meets learners’ needs. There are high levels of achievement and good standards of teaching and learning. Data is used well to aid the management of the provision. […] The self-assessment process is well developed. All staff contribute to the process. The prison produced a self-critical and accurate report that identified many of the strengths and weaknesses found during the inspection. Equality of opportunity is promoted well. Policies and procedures are promoted well to learners and staff through induction and ongoing reinforcement.
There is effective teamwork with education staff in the development and delivery of basic and key skills within the department. They plan well together and demonstrate a good understanding of basic and key skills development in a practical environment.
The self-assessment report is a full and detailed document which involved staff views at the report and action-planning stages. […] There is good observation of training in education. All teaching staff are observed and they receive constructive verbal feedback, which is recorded. A new system is being introduced to include teaching, learning and attainment.
Equality of opportunity is promoted to prisoners on induction to the prison. Learning materials in the education department reflect cultural diversity. Staff have regular training on diversity issues. […] The education department displays the results of learners’ surveys on its walls. Presentation is good. Clear messages such as, “you said this” and “we have done this as a result” help learners to appreciate that surveys are valuable and that they can influence change. The visual impact of the charts is helped by bold graphical images such as coloured pie charts.
Staff are effectively deployed to meet the needs of all learners who use the education department. Staff’s specialist skills are used effectively. Key performance targets for achievement are monitored closely and met.
There is good management of support for learners’ literacy, numeracy and language needs. The arrangements to ensure that all young adults entering the prison are assessed are clear, thorough and effective. Initial assessments are carried out for screening and diagnostic evaluation. Support needs are clearly recorded and thorough arrangements are in place to ensure that most learners receive support for their individual needs.
There is good operational management in education and training which leads to good teaching, learning and achievement.
Equality of opportunity in education and training is good. The prison has statements and guidelines on equality of opportunity, discrimination and bullying. […] Since the previous inspection, self-assessment and development action-planning have become an integral part of the prison’s quality assurance arrangements. Staff have contributed to the self-assessment process and now have a satisfactory understanding of its importance and purpose in supporting continuous improvement.
There is good and effective management of the education provision, which is contracted to a college of further education. Teaching staff are appropriately qualified and work well as a team. […] The promotion and management of equal opportunities is good with a clear equal opportunities and diversity policy.
Senior managers have a clear strategic focus to ensure the provision of education supports prisoner re-settlement. This is effectively shared with the education subcontractor. The curriculum has been redesigned to recognise the rapid turnover of prisoners. […] Recent initiatives to improve the quality of the provision are good. Key skills and literacy and numeracy training have been effectively integrated with most education programmes as well as vocational training in the prison. Shorter education programmes have been introduced and learners have greater opportunity to gain accreditation for their work.
There is good management of foundation programmes. There are regular team meetings and good communication within the team. The monitoring of learners’ work is very good, with comprehensive target-setting and regular progress reviews. Annual staff appraisals are used to identify training needs.
There is a clear key skills strategy, which so far has seen the introduction of key skills into the industrial workshops. Learners are able to become involved in learning programmes while working part time.
There is good senior management support for education and vocational training. Convicted prisoners studying for qualifications are held back from transfer to other prisons to enable them to complete their qualifications. A work-skills manager has been appointed to promote education and training in the workshops.
'How is success in leadership and management recognised?' in other guides:
- Adult and Community Learning
- E-learning
- Embedded Learning
- Family Learning
- Further Education Colleges
- Jobcentre Plus Programmes
- Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities
- The Juvenile Secure Estate for Young People Aged 15-17
- Voluntary and Community Sector
- Work-based Learning
- Young Offender Institutions for Young People Aged 18-21
