Ofsted praises ‘ambitious curriculum’ as HMP YOI Moorland receives ‘Good’ Rating

Novus is proud to be the education provider at another prison that has been rated Good by Ofsted in its recent inspection

National prison education provider Novus has been praised for its ambitious curriculum as part of an Ofsted inspection which rated the provision at HMP YOI Moorland as ‘Good’.

The ‘Good’ rating for overall effectiveness is the culmination of a concerted and collaborative effort across HMP YOI Moorland to help ensure prisoners have the best possible opportunity to gain the skills that are so crucial to breaking cycles of reoffending. This has been achieved in a prison education environment where many learners have had a previous negative experience of education. Half of prisoners in the UK have neurodivergent needs and 57% of adult prisoners have literacy levels below that of an 11 year old.

In its report Ofsted highlighted the support offered to prisoners to gain employability skills stating “that there was a good focus on supporting prisoners to improve their personal and social well-being and to acquire the skills, knowledge and behaviour needed to gain employment on release and to reintegrate into society” and that “leaders and managers had implemented an ambitious and appropriate curriculum that met the needs of prisoners”.

The findings further underline the vital role that a high-quality prison education can play in rehabilitating prisoners and ensuring the offenders develop skills that lead to employment or education on release, reducing the likelihood of reoffending. 

Within the report, Ofsted specifically called out the work that Novus provides in helping learners acquire the skills they will require for future employment, highlighting

“The education provider, Novus, worked with prison leaders to make sure that the content and structure of training courses were carefully planned. Teachers had designed engaging and challenging content for prisoners; the ESOL curriculum content, for example, centred around useful topics that related to prison and wider life, such as health, food, jobs, culture and technology, and which met the language development needs of adults. The employability and warehousing programmes included content that improved prisoners’ self-confidence and communication skills as well as their prospects for employment.”

Commenting on the report Novus Managing Director Peter Cox, commented:

“At Novus, we have made quality provision our main priority and it is good to see this recognised by Ofsted. It was equally encouraging to see the work we do around employability, which focuses on ensuring learners acquire the skills they will need to secure employment upon release, recognised in the report which can provide a blueprint for further Ofsted ‘Good’ ratings across the prison estate.”

“The report at HMP Moorland is testament to the collaborative and supportive environment within the prison, making education provision a real priority for prisoners within the establishment. This would not have been possible without the dedication of colleagues across Novus, HMPPS and our partners who have all worked together to transform the futures of the people at HMP & YOI Moorland. “

A full copy of the report is available here.