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Overview of the job

The reoffending rate has remained broadly static at around 29% since 2010, and during the 12 months ending March 2019, 81% of offenders convicted or cautioned had at least one previous conviction or caution. Reoffending is costing society approximately £18bn per year and almost half of all prisoners reoffend within 12 months of release.  

As part of a refreshed effort across Government, HMPPS have launched a new Reducing Reoffending Directorate charged with galvanising collective efforts across the Agency and with our public, private and third sector partners to turn the dial on these statistics.  We will create the conditions (space and freedom, as well as tools and a new operational framework) for our leaders to drive change in their localities and drive change in the way we influence our partners, so we become a more confident and demanding customer on those we share responsibility for tackling this challenge alongside.   

The Reducing Reoffending Directorate are seeking to trial a number of potential new prison-based roles focused at supporting efforts to reduce reoffending, including a Curriculum and Learning Progression Lead. The job holder will seek to provide a key focus on this work strand by providing strategic and operational direction within the prison.  This is an exciting opportunity to test the role as a priority area of work rather than being attached to other roles with operational responsibility, shaping and refining it as it is delivered. 

We are looking for an energetic and enthusiastic individual to work in the Prison and feedback learning to the Reducing Reoffending Directorate until 31 March 2022. Due to the short period of time we are looking for experienced individuals who can progress this role from taking up post in June/July 2021.

The post holder will act as a subject matter expert to the Governor and their Senior Management Team (SMT).

The role will be establishment based with the expectation that post holders will travel as and when required. This is a non-operational post. 

This post is available on loan, secondment or fixed-term contract, ending 31 March 2022. It is located in HMP New Hall

Summary

The role of the Curriculum and Learning Progression Lead has two main components:

• To assess current strengths and areas for improvement with respect to preparing prisoners well for genuine employment outcomes, based on individual starting points and labour market information.

• To develop effective improvement strategies and work with the Governor/Director and her/his team to implement sustainable change. 

In order to offer informed support and guidance to Governors and their teams, the Curriculum and Learning Progression Lead will be required to understand, amongst other aspects, the security category of their base prison and the geographical locations to which prisoners will be released. Prison familiarisation training will be provided to ensure successful candidates have the fundamental knowledge they need to be effective in their roles.

Please note: The Directorate is undergoing a review of the ‘RR Accelerator’ posts which are provisionally graded between Band 6 and Band 8.  The responsibilities, activities and duties, within the job will be reviewed and refined over 9-12 month period, ending 31 March 2022, before final JES.

There is line management responsibility as part of this role, and we do not expect the post holder to have operational experience however this would be advantageous when working within the establishment.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Evaluate the quality of education, skills and work provision using Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework criteria (evaluation of the curriculum, intent, implementation and impact):

• Intent: Extent to which the current education, skills and work curriculum is sufficiently ambitious and appropriate to meet the needs of prisoners and the local labour market;

• Implementation: How the curriculum offer is delivered, including the support available for prisoners with neurodiverse needs.

• Impact: Outcomes of curriculum offer, including but not limited to accredited qualifications and any known post release job outcomes.

• As an associate member of SMT, work with Head of Reducing Reoffending(HoRR), Learning & Skills Manager (LSM), Industries Manager, Activities Team, Governor and SMT to carry out the self-evaluation, using this and the assessment of quality to inform the prison education, skills and work improvement plan and to understand what good looks like, and to deliver this ambition. The plan can be applied across various learning channels, e.g. classroom, industries, work areas, workshops, gym etc.

• Provide strategic oversight for delivery of the education, skills and work improvement plan, by harnessing the right partnerships within the prison, and by developing the systems and structures to ensure delivery. This should include as a minimum: LSM, HoRR, Provider education and/or curriculum managers (inc regional leads), Neurodiversity Support Manager (NSM), Employment lead, New Futures Network (NFN) broker, Prison Work Coach, Head of Offender Management Unit, libraries, Information Advice and Guidance (IAG), activities, gym, industries manager.

• To have line management responsibility and strategic oversight of the Neurodiversity Support Manager (NSM).  This includes ensuring the NSM has strategic oversight for the neurodiversity elements within the delivery of the education, skills and work improvement plan.

• Analyse and evaluate current practice for how skills and work provision is tailored to the needs of a wide range of prisoners, including those who are hard to reach, vulnerable prisoners, neurodiverse and those from whom English is not their first language. Recommend and test related solutions

• Analyse and evaluate the appropriateness of the regime, how this enables or prevents effective education outcomes for residents and make recommendations where value could be added.

• Identify any equality and inclusion participation and/or achievement gaps, noting joint working opportunities with the NSM. 

• Examine what is being delivered within the current contract (PEF Education Framework) & DPS (Dynamic Purchasing System)), analyse how well data is collected and used to support prisoners’ progress, and explore where service delivery can be strengthened within the existing and future contracts. 

• Evaluate the extent to which the right prisoners are currently attending the right education, skills or work at the right time, based on assessment, career aspirations and milestone targets and allocation practices.

• Assess how digital capability, including VC (virtual campus) is used and potential for short term improvements.

• Evaluate how effectively prison, New Futures Network and education providers’ senior leaders work together to ensure the curriculum evolves on a continual basis and identify priority areas for improvement in the current offer.

• Work alongside work coaches and employment leads to review quality of careers guidance and other education induction and pre-release provision.

• Analyse how well the prison currently promotes the value of education, skills and work to prisoners and how managers assess prisoners’ motivation and attitudes (positive or negative) towards provision.

• Analyse how well the prison ensures appropriate personal development of prisoners (see para 146 of the Ofsted inspection handbook for prisons).

• Evaluate extent to which the prison enables the education, skills and work activity (prisoners’ attendance/punctuality and allocation practices) and has sufficient activity spaces for the needs of the population.

• Attendance - Number/% of education and work morning and afternoon sessions attended where prisoners arrived within 15 minutes of agreed core day start time;

• Evaluate the effectiveness of any existing peer mentoring/support schemes and how these could be developed further. 

• Devise an improvement strategy, together with associated prioritised workstreams and SMART actions.

• Working with the Governor and prison managers, implement the improvement strategy at pace, focusing on locally agreed priorities.

• Produce a detailed report of findings, recommendations and the extent to which the education, skills and work improvement plan has been implemented by the end of the secondment period.

• Create a learning community across the senior Curriculum and Learning Progression Lead group to share learning, fail fast and develop prototypes and concepts for the benefit of all accelerators (where appropriate).

• Work with HQ Accelerator Leads to shape and define the role in an operational environment for future role out

• Provide regular feedback to the Centre and the prison HoRR. This to include learning on the development of the role, good practice within the prison, data and evidence to support Spending review and delivery toolkits.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

Behaviours

• Seeing the big picture

• Changing and Improving

• Delivering at Pace

• Managing a Quality Service

Experience and Technical Requirements

• Experience of operating at a senior level in the community adult further and education skills sector.

• Detailed knowledge of Ofsted’s EIF (Education Inspection Framework) and further education and skills criteria and how these apply in the prison context. 

• Experience of working with senior leaders and frontline practitioners.

• Experience of working with and engaging adult learners.

• Has experience of setting goals and achieving targets. 

• Has an understanding of contract management. 

• Experience of implementing change in educational context.

• Demonstrable evidence of innovation and impact in an educational context

• Strong written and excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills. 

Ability/Qualifications

Essential Qualifications: PGCE, Cert Ed or Level 5 in Education and Training.

Desirable Qualifications: Level 4 TAQA qualifications in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes or equivalent.

Experience: Substantial teaching experience as well as evidence of continuous professional development.

If successful candidates will need to complete vetting at enhanced level. You will need to demonstrate/ provide evidence of:

Confirmation of right to work

Confirmation of ID and address

Eligibility

Criminal conviction

Employment history

Countersignature (where relevant)