National guidelines needed for prisoners' education

The reports, Learning and skills for offenders serving short custodial sentences and Learning and skills for the longer serving offender, found that a lack of consistent education provision is limiting the amount that prisoners' can learn in custody.

The watchdog found that the "slow and inefficient" transfer of records between different prisons and probation services hampered prisoners' learning.

Short-term offenders had access to a better range of courses than long-term offenders, but a fifth of prisons still failed to offer learning programmes suited to offenders serving sentences of less than one year.

Ofsted is recommending that the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) develop a national strategy for learning and skills provision in prisons.

Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, said that improving education in prisons would reduce re-offending rates.  She said: "We need greater overall consistency in the provision of learning programmes and a national system for recording data."

She added: "The learning needs of long and short term offenders are particularly challenging and complex, but it's crucial their needs are met and every learning opportunity is fulfilled."

Director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, Frances Crook, said: "Our jails are brimming with thousands of young men and women who are failed by the education system in this country. 63 per cent of young adults in prison have been excluded from school and just under a third have basic skills deficits."

She added: "The issues Ofsted has highlighted are far from new. For years now, little has changed in prison education. With over 200 children in prison under school leaving age, it is also disappointing that these reports don't address the specific educational needs of this vulnerable group."