Christian charity wins contract to run new Medway secure school

Oasis Charitable Trust, which runs 52 academies across England, was chosen to operate the secure school on the site of Medway secure training centre (STC) in Kent.

Medway is expected to accommodate up to 64 boys and girls aged between 12 and 17, who are either serving a custodial sentence or on remand.

In a statement on its website, the global non-profit organisation promises to put "redemption at the heart of youth custodial system".

Oasis founder Rev Steve Chalke, a Baptist minister, has previously called for the church to accept stable gay relationships.

Medway STC, which was exposed for its mistreatment of young inmates by G4S security staff, is to be transformed with a £5m government investment for extensive refurbishment of classrooms and residential areas.

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The Ministry of Justice claims the setting will be education and rehabilitation-led, as well as aiming to improve safety in the youth estate and reduce reoffending.

The MoJ said that Oasis provided a "clear and ambitious vision" and will have "complete autonomy to set the curriculum and timetable, and will decide how they recruit, train and pay staff".

Most of Oasis's academies were rated by Ofsted as failing at the time they were taken over, with 80 per cent now rated "good" or "outstanding", according to the MoJ.

The department said that three quarters of the settings operate in the UK's most deprived areas.

Justice minister Edward Argar said: "Secure schools are critical to our vision for youth custody - placing education, healthcare and purposeful activity at the heart of rehabilitation.

"I have been impressed by Oasis's dedication to improving the lives of young people and its track record across education, health and youth work.

"We will now work closely with them on detailed proposals to ensure high standards from day one."

Last week, Argar defended the use of custody in a parliamentary debate on ending child imprisonment.

Plans to pilot two secure schools were first announced in December 2016, on the back of recommendations made in Charlie Taylor's review of the youth justice system. 

In October, the government announced Medway STC would be the site for the first secure school, with more purpose-built secure schools planned in coming years. 

According to tender documents, the MoJ expects the number of students to be increased gradually, and that funding will be provided on the basis of the school being at maximum capacity of 64 children.

The tender assumes that £8.6m of the annual operating funding will be available, to be confirmed once the legal status of the school is confirmed.

Payments will be reviewed and made quarterly in advance and future payments may be adjusted to avoid the secure school operating with a large surplus.

Health services will be separately commissioned and paid for by NHS England, and overall Ofsted inspection ratings must be maintained as at least "good". 

A rating below this could trigger a range of interventions in the form of support to build capacity, up to termination of the funding agreement.

Carolyne Willow, director of children's rights charity Article 39 which is part of the campaign to end child imprisonment, and who has consistently criticised the use of the Medway site, also criticised Oasis for appearing to "lack any experience of looking after children in a residential setting" and warned of the potential consequences.

She drew comparisons with the awarding of previous contracts for running STCs in the 1990s, claiming that G4S and Serco were also inexperienced in the sector.

"Secure training centres were similarly marketed as centres of excellence in children's education and care," added Willow.

"Nothing I have seen or heard shows that the government has properly reflected on why children suffered so badly for so long in those institutions.

"There has been no explanation either as to why the law has been changed to allow 16-19 academies to become secure children's homes, when additional investment in the best of existing provision would have been the most obvious and safer path to take."

Oasis founder Rev Steve Chalke, said: "We welcome enthusiastically the opportunity to partner with the Ministry of Justice and take responsibility for the UK's first secure school. 

"As well as providing a challenging and redemptive environment for young offenders, we are looking forward to integrating our work into our wider community activities, providing opportunities to support our secure school students long after they leave our care, so aiding their reintegration into community and reducing re-offending rates.

"We believe that every young person is capable of change and of making more positive choices about their life and their future.

"Therefore, our emphasis will be wholly on rehabilitation and restoration rather than retribution.

"From the very beginning of their stay with us, we will work with them to begin to prepare for their resettlement back into community to make an ongoing positive contribution to society in the future."