Any runners out there?

Prisoners' Education Trust@prisonersed.bsky.social · 5d ago

One last spot has become available for the Oysho Royal Parks Half Marathon in London this October! Help give people in prison access to life-changing education. Email our Fundraising team today to secure your spot and run for PET: events@prisonerseducation.org.uk

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated. We're very grateful for your support. And if you haven't donated yet, and you'd like to, the appeal is still running and any donations will enable people in prison to access education.

Prisoners' Education Trust@prisonersed.bsky.social · 2w ago

We've raised £11,308 so far in our Summer Appeal! The first £10,000 of donations has been doubled thanks to matched funding - but we still need your support. Help more people in prison bridge the gap between their past and their future through learning. Give today: https://bit.ly/BTGBluesky5

Congratulations to @cmckinnellmp.bsky.social, who has been appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice and seems likely to take on the prisons and probation brief formerly held by Lord Timpson. It's a huge, important job with a lot of potential to make a real difference.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 2w ago

Ministers of State (new roles) - include Dan Jarvis as security minister Kirsty McNeill at FCDO Anna Turley at the Home Office Diana Johnson at Health & Social Care Ian Murray at DCMS Emma Hardy MP has Defra (including food) while Emma Foody MP is in the Whips office www.gov.uk/government/n...

Congratulations to @alexjjnorris.bsky.social, the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice!

Paul Brand@paulbrand.bsky.social · 2w ago

BREAKING: Big job for Wes Streeting as he becomes Defence Secretary. Also; •Alex Norris as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice •Dame Angela Eagle as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs •Miatta Fahnbulleh as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

Excellent letter in the Guardian from @profianpickup.bsky.social from the Open University on the value of prison education. Amber Rudd's review is an opportunity to look at how education can be improved to enable more people in prison to access its benefits. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Long-term solutions to the Prison Service crisis | Letters

Letters: Prof Ian Pickup on prison education, Henry Rossi on resentencing IPP prisoners, Andrew RC McLellan on earlier release and Dr Rod Earle on a lesson from 1930s Red Vienna

theguardian.com

Lord Timpson has done an interview with the @financialtimes.com, setting out the progress that has been made in his two years as prisons minister. www.ft.com/content/d5dd...

‘Green shoots in every direction’: Prisons minister defends record despite watchdog’s criticism

James Timpson acknowledges standards are still inconsistent but insists a corner has been turned

ft.com

Prison education cuts driving drug use, self-harm and violence, says watchdog

Prison education cuts driving drug use, self-harm and violence, says watchdog

Report by HM inspector of prisons for England and Wales comes as spending on frontline education falls by up to 50% “Brutal” cuts to prison education and training by Labour ministers are leading to an increase in drug use, self-harm and violence, a watchdog’s withering final annual report has said. Charlie Taylor, who steps down as HM inspector of prisons for England and Wales in the autumn after six years, has also warned the authorities must keep a “close eye” on the impending release of thousands of prisoners later this year. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

This is a depressing report but the current slight dip in the population is an opportunity to address the failures it highlights. Reversing cuts to prison education, and ensuring education is a priority, should be at the heart of work to ensure prisons help people to turn their lives around.

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social · 4w ago

Today we publish our 2025-26 Annual Report. Chief Inspector, Charlie Taylor, says act now to improve poor levels of activity in prisons and reduce demand for drugs. Report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... Press release: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/chief-i...

Everyone in prison should have the opportunity to learn. That’s why today we are launching our Summer Appeal: Bridging the Gap. Help us to meet rising demands in an overstretched and underfunded system. Every donation will be doubled while match funding lasts – give today and double your impact.

Bridging the Gap: PET's Summer Appeal - Prisoners' Education Trust

A donation of any size to Prisoners' Education Trust makes a real difference to people in prison, helping them to build a brighter future.

bit.ly

Late to it but this is a brilliant, brilliant piece by @prisonersed.bsky.social alumnus Dalton Harrison, who is also one of the nicest men you could hope to meet. medium.com/lifelong-lea...

Meet our graduates — Dalton Harrison

Following his completion of the LLC’s Preparation for Higher Education (PHE) course, Dalton went on to gain undergraduate and postgraduate…

medium.com

Lots of good points in this, particularly "it’s difficult to persuade prisoners that you care about them when you keep them in squalor". The same applies to education in prisons. It's hard to argue it's a priority if the classrooms are leaky, mouldy and generally run down.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · last mo.

If we can’t keep rats out of Britain’s jails, we shouldn’t be putting children in them | Zoe Williams

The Welsh Affairs Committee has joined the broad range of voices calling for cuts to prison education in English prisons to be reversed. We gave evidence to this inquiry and it’s good to see our key points echoed in the report. committees.parliament.uk/committee/16...

Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales: Overcrowded prisons and workforce pressures undermining safety and rehabilitation, MPs warn - Committees - UK Parliament

Population pressures, staffing challenges and overcrowding have undermined staff and prisoner safety and the effectiveness of rehabilitation across the prison estate in England and Wales, the Welsh Af...

committees.parliament.uk

This is a good assessment of the many challenges facing youth custody, including in providing high quality education to young people who've had very disrupted experiences of school. (And I'm always amazed by the fact that 20% of young people in secure settings went to the same six schools.)

Rachel Sylvester@rachelsylvester.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I wrote about the shocking state of youth justice: - 2/3 reoffend - 1/5 of kids in YOIs went to same 6 schools - 2/3 grew up in care - 61% have experienced violence in custody - 3/4 have history of persistent absence - YOI costs double Eton but only 20% pass GCSEs observer.co.uk/news/politic...

Good to see that education at Downview has been rated 'good' by Ofsted, in a broadly positive report. This follows a positive report a couple of months ago on Low Newton and an encouraging update from HMIP on the women's estate generally (bit.ly/4dQgXJi).

HMI Prisons@hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social · 3mo ago

HMP & YOI Downview: safe and well run, but more needed to help women progress. Read the report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And press notice: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/reports... See the healthy prison scores:

If more access to positive activities in prison will reduce drug use, then why cut education provision by 25%? insidetime.org/newsround/mo...

More activities for prisoners will reduce drug use, says head of Prison Service

The head of the Prison Service in England and Wales has told MPs that offering prisoners more activities and more time out of their cells will help to tackle the problem of drugs in jails. James Mc…

insidetime.org

Really encouraging @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social report on HMP Wayland today. They've gone from 'poor' to 'reasonably good' on purposeful activity, which is impressive progress, and been rated as 'good' overall by Ofsted. hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

I love this series of profiles of independent landlords in London by @andrewkersley.bsky.social and @petercarlyon.bsky.social for @londonermag.bsky.social. It's just nice to have some positive news at the moment! www.the-londoner.co.uk/londons-youn...

London’s pubs are in crisis. Can a new generation of landlords save them?

‘I don’t think anyone has woken up and said it’s my dream to be the district manager of a Wetherspoons in Woking’

the-londoner.co.uk

In this interview focused on a visit to HMP Styal, the prisons minister Lord Timpson rightly notes that education helps people get a job. But education at Styal has just been cut by 30%. Given the cost of reoffending this is the very definition of a false economy. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

James Timpson: ‘I can see the positive in people where ot...

On a stroll around Styal jail in Cheshire, the prisons minister discusses jobs for ex-offenders, support for women inmates and why he has no political ambitions

observer.co.uk

📋 Eight prisons in the West Midlands have finally been appointed an education supplier after an initial failed procurement process. https://feweek.co.uk/novus-selected-again-to-deliver-west-midlands-prison-education/

Novus selected again to deliver West Midlands prison education

The training provider has retained eight prisons in the region following a tender re-run

feweek.co.uk

Congratulations (belatedly) to Dr Leonie Smith and Dr @jonbebb.bsky.social on winning the @thebpa.bsky.social's inaugural prize for 'Teaching Philosophy in the Community' for their work teaching philosophy in prison. It's good to see this sort of work being recognised. bpa.ac.uk/prizes2026/

BPA Prizes 2026 - British Philosophical Association

The British Philosophical Association is delighted to celebrate the inaugural recipients of our new BPA Prizes. These awards were established to recognise and promote the outstanding breadth, depth, a...

bpa.ac.uk

Well done to HMP Portland for getting 'good' from Ofsted for their education provision in today's @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social report. As the report notes, this is "a creditable outcome when compared to almost all other closed prisons for men". hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

Depressing but unsurprising to see this in today's @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social report on HMP Manchester. Prisons are having to adapt to big cuts in provision and it'd be impossible to absorb a 54% cut without it having a significant impact. hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

Concerning analysis from Inside Time, looking at the impact of cuts to prison education provision on the women's estate. insidetime.org/newsround/ex...

Exclusive: Women bear the brunt of prison education cuts

Women in prison will bear the brunt of cuts in education provision, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice. Data covering 94 prisons in England and Wales show that the number of teaching…

insidetime.org

Good to see @feweek.bsky.social's Anviksha Patel digging into the data on cuts to prison education provision published earlier this week. Last year, North Sea Camp had 92% attendance at education, the third highest of any prison. Now its education provision has been cut by 58%.

FE Week@feweek.bsky.social · 4mo ago

✂️ Prison education cuts have fallen hardest on jails in Greater Manchester and Merseyside where planned teaching hours have been slashed by 40 per cent https://feweek.co.uk/revealed-prisons-with-most-severe-cuts-to-education-hours/

My colleague @themarkages.bsky.social has written this excellent explainer examining new data from the Ministry of Justice revealing 25% cuts to prison education provision. Prison education had been slowly improving. It's very hard to see how that'll be sustained in the face of these cuts.

Prisoners' Education Trust@prisonersed.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New figures from the Ministry of Justice show that the number of planned education hours in public sector prisons in England has been cut by 25%. We unpack what this alarming new data tells us in this explainer: https://ow.ly/WeP150YCetI

This @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social report highlights some great practice but also too many people not getting regular access to exercise. Given how much time people in prison spend in their cells, this is really important to address. hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/too-few...

Concerning to see this in today's @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social review of progress at HMP Elmley. Prisons are working hard to make improvements but where provision has been cut under new contracts it'll make sustaining improvements much harder. hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

This is really sad and upsetting, but still very much worth reading.

The Londoner@londonermag.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Three brothers fled Afghanistan for safety in London. Over the course of 39 days last year, two of them would be dead. This is the story of what happened, and the authorities that failed them. www.the-londoner.co.uk/three-brothe...

It’s great to see University and College Union (UCU) publishing two reports exploring the experiences of prison teachers generally and prison teachers from minority ethnic groups specifically. We don’t know enough about prison teachers. This research helps to fill that gap. Read the reports here ⬇️

UCU publications

Key UCU reports and publications.

ow.ly

No registration fee *and* you get a very stylish bright orange t-shirt. And we come and cheer you on and wave tiny flags created by @frey-a.bsky.social!

Prisoners' Education Trust@prisonersed.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Ready for a new challenge? 🏃‍♀️ Join PET for the Royal Parks Half on 11 October! Run through London’s most beautiful parks while helping people in prison gain the skills they need for a fresh start. We have 8 places available with no registration fee. Register here 👇 https://ow.ly/uKLX50Yl4of