Thank you so much to everyone who supported our Summer Appeal. We raised £14,333 – £10,000 of which has been matched by a generous trust. That's a total of £24,333! Your kindness will help us to meet the rise in demand for distance learning and impact the lives of so many people in prison.

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

Run the Royal Parks Half for PET this October! - Prisoners' Education Trust

Run the Royal Parks Half for Prisoners' Education Trust to give people in prison the opportunity to gain vital skills and qualifications.

prisonerseducation.org.uk

Half of people in prison are estimated to have dyslexia - five times the rate of the general population. Tailored support is essential to making education in prison accessible and transformative. The recent cuts are putting that at risk. Read more here 👇

Supporting learners with dyslexia in prison - Prisoners' Education Trust

Half of people in prison are estimated to have dyslexia. We explore the challenges they face and the targeted support helping them succeed.

ow.ly

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...

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

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 @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

With prison education cut by a quarter and an increased demand for PET’s distance learning courses, we need your support to ensure that people in prison can continue to study. Have your donation doubled today in our Summer Appeal – Bridging the Gap: https://bit.ly/BTGBluesky4

For learners like Lucy, studying with PET helps bridge the gap between their past and their future. You can ensure that more people in prison have the opportunity to work towards their goals - double your impact today by donating to our Summer Appeal: https://bit.ly/BTGBluesky3

Brilliant to be at the @unlockedgrads.bsky.social ChangeMakers event last week. Suzan and Ant met custodial managers from prisons across England and Wales to talk about the courses PET offers, plus our CEO @jonbcollins.bsky.social spoke about how to support people in prison to achieve their goals.

We have seen an 18% increase in the number of course applications so far this year. Richard is studying A-level Maths, focusing on his long-term goal of attending university. Help make sure learners don’t miss out – have your donation doubled today: https://bit.ly/BTGBluesky2

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...

We welcome today's call from the Chief Inspector of Prisons for the prison service to increase purposeful activity to help tackle widespread drug use and violence. Education should be the cornerstone of a safer, more hopeful prison system. The government must reverse the recent cuts.

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%

theguardian.com

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

Strengthening distance learning in prisons - @prisonersed.bsky.social blogs on the importance of distance learning in prisons www.russellwebster.com/strengthenin...

Strengthening distance learning in prisons

Prisoners Education Trust blogs on the importance of distance learning in prisons

russellwebster.com

At present, people with more than six years left to serve on their sentence cannot access student finance for degree programmes. In our new report, we're calling on the government to abolish the six-year rule, so that every learner has the opportunity to transform their life through learning.

New report calls on government to protect and strengthen distance learning in prison - Prisoners' Education Trust

A new Prisoners' Education Trust report calls on the government to protect distance learning in prison amid budget cuts and system pressures.

ow.ly

Cutting education hours by a quarter has placed prison education under severe strain - staff made redundant, courses cut, and people with specific needs left without support. Our new report sets out how the government can work together with prison leaders to protect distance learning.

New report calls on government to protect and strengthen distance learning in prison - Prisoners' Education Trust

A new Prisoners' Education Trust report calls on the government to protect distance learning in prison amid budget cuts and system pressures.

ow.ly

"I started to see the connections between creativity, poetry and activism in pursuit of transgender rights and prison reform. I began to feel a passion for social change." This is a brilliant read this Pride month. We're proud to have played a part in Dalton's journey.

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…

ow.ly

When it comes to opening up opportunities for higher-level study and vocational qualifications in prisons, distance learning is often the only route. Our new report – Beyond the classroom – sets out ten things prison leaders can do to protect and strengthen it in their establishments.

New report calls on government to protect and strengthen distance learning in prison - Prisoners' Education Trust

A new Prisoners' Education Trust report calls on the government to protect distance learning in prison amid budget cuts and system pressures.

ow.ly

In the face of increasing pressures, our new report – Beyond the classroom – sets out ten things prison leaders can do to protect and strengthen distance learning in their establishments, alongside five things the government must do to stabilise and support the wider system. Read it here 👇

New report calls on government to protect and strengthen distance learning in prison - Prisoners' Education Trust

A new Prisoners' Education Trust report calls on the government to protect distance learning in prison amid budget cuts and system pressures.

prisonerseducation.org.uk

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

A story of rehabilitation of every kind. 18 homing pigeons rescued by the RSPCA are now being cared for by women at HMP/YOI Foston Hall. Women at the prison help to care for the birds and maintain the pigeon loft as part of an animal care course, run by the prison’s education provider.

Pigeons rehomed to a women’s prison

Eighteen pigeons were rescued by the RSPCA after their previous owners could no longer care for them. Now they’re enjoying a new life behind bars – in a prison, where they’re free to fly.

ow.ly

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

Many people in prison struggle to read, impacting their ability to navigate daily life. If you work in a prison and want to find out how you can champion and support reading, sign up to this event in June to hear from expert voices as part of the National Year of Reading 2026.

"Prison teachers operate at the intersection of education, rehabilitation and the justice system, yet their voices are rarely central to discussions about reform." This is well worth a read - written by a prison tutor who is conducting research that explores the experience of prison educators.

Don't fix prison education without listening to its teachers

We talk about rehabilitation outcomes, but rarely about the prison educators delivering them

ow.ly

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:

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...

We love this: the debut publication from prison reading campaign Bang Up Books, in collaboration with Koestler Arts. All the writing comes from prisons in England and Wales. Better still, profits go to the Samaritans to support their work in prisons - get your copy here 👇 https://ow.ly/xP1g50YV8IE

Once Upon A Time | Koestler Arts

Once Upon A Time is the debut publication from Bang Up Books, a prison reading campaign. Described by one prison reader as “the book I would hand people to give them the full version of what it was like being inside so I didn’t have to explain”, the work is thoughtful, impactful, and often unexpected. Once Upon A Time spans themes from judgement, to time, to love, and loss across poetry, rap, and even a business plan. We recommend you prepare to have your preconceptions about life in prison challenged. Carefully curated over a full year, the book is a first of its kind – not only was the...

ow.ly

We've answered 89 calls in two weeks on our Advice Line - our busiest fortnight ever! A huge thank you to our inspiring team of advisers who have been giving people advice and guidance on studying in prison since the free service launched in 2020.