5B: What is ‘success’ in leadership and management?

Sally Naish is the education manager at an open prison. Sally says, ‘My job is to manage the contract for prison education from the college. My job is to deliver the best possible service to the governor and the prisoners.

‘Currently we have 30 students part time. Every single prisoner is involved in the Skills for Life programmes; it goes right across the prison. The most important thing is to respect the prisoners and their needs. Many got into difficulties that led to prison because they lacked basic skills. The men feel inadequate, they feel let down. An awful lot of people in prison have been in care. It is very important to match their programme to what they want to do.

'There are three or four things I think that contribute to high quality and standards. The quality of teaching staff and the commitment they have to what and whom they are teaching. The wonderful communication network that exists between prisoners and staff. The objectives for learning that are laid down clearly, because most prisoners need a structured learning environment. And the fact that an inmate knows, from the beginning, where he is going, what he is doing and what he needs to achieve.

‘Where possible, inmates go on to an accredited course. There are others, who, for lots of reasons such as poor education, find accreditation difficult, but for them there are other ways they can show their gain. Many will leave here and enrol at a college. Others gain in confidence and leave not being frightened of an education department. We work hard so that they experience that wonderful feeling of satisfaction of having learned something!’

One prison contractor has developed rigorous procedures for teaching and learning observations in line with the requirements of the Common Inspection Framework. All the paperwork relating to teaching observations has been revised to ensure that observers examine closely the basic skills elements in vocational programmes. Schemes of work, lesson plans and tutorial documents now include a section for teachers to incorporate literacy, numeracy and language development. Every basic skills member of staff is observed annually by a trained observer and comprehensive feedback is given to all observed teachers, orally and in writing. Prisoners are given the opportunity to comment on the quality of the tuition they receive by completing a learners’ perception questionnaire. Action points arising from the observations are used to improve the quality of provision. An appraisal of the observed basic skills teacher must take place within 20 days of the observed session. Teachers have commented on the supportive nature of the teaching and learning observation framework.

One prison contractor has gone to great lengths to ensure a systematic and effective support framework for basic skills teachers. This is in the shape of basic and key skills champions whose main purpose is to support prison staff in the development of literacy, numeracy and ESOL and to enable them to embed these areas of work within the curriculum. A job description was developed in consultation with teachers. Their remit and responsibilities are to:

• ensure the successful implementation of the basic skills policy and action plan, including the tracking of screening, initial and diagnostic assessments and subsequent support
  
• help vocational teachers identify the literacy, numeracy and language requirements of learning programmes and assignments through detailed task analysis
  
• support the mapping of literacy and numeracy within schemes of work, ILPs and lesson plans
  
• advise on the curriculum and support elements that are most appropriate for the development of basic or key skills, using the various curricula as key teaching resources
  
• advise teachers on a range of strategies to minimise barriers to learning faced by prisoners in particular
  
• assist in the implementation of appropriate learning materials, including adaptation or simplification of materials as necessary
  
• attend regular meetings and briefings to ensure that activities are co-ordinated
  
• remain fully aware of, and involved with all the basic and key skills activities across all the prisons under the remit of the contractor
  
• update all prison teachers and senior managers on current initiatives.

The champions have assisted teachers to link basic skills support effectively with vocational areas, ensuring not only the effective use of vocational contexts but also attending to the basic skills needs of prisoners within vocational programmes.

One prison provider ensures that all teachers have a clear understanding of the strategic objectives of the provider. Regular briefings, a quarterly basic skills newsletter and review meetings keep all staff well informed about curriculum developments and encourage them to take part in strategic and operational planning.