CYP Now - Young offender classroom time in decline despite government drive

The average number of hours young people in custody spend in the classroom has fallen in the past two years despite government efforts to improve education provision, it has emerged.

Figures published in parliament show that across the four state-run young offender institutions - Cookham Wood YOI in Kent, Feltham YOI in west London, Werrington YOI in Staffordshire, and Wetherby YOI in Yorkshire - young people spent an average of 13.96 hours in the classroom in 2017 - nearly two hours less than in 2015 when the figure was 15.85 hours.

The drop in classroom time comes despite a government focus in recent years on placing education at the centre of youth custody.

In December 2014 the Ministry of Justice announced that new education contracts across the four YOIs, worth a combined total of £12m a year, would see education provision extended from 15 hours to around 30 hours each week.

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