Discover our newest publications, tune in to previous PLA webinars and more.
50% of people in prison cannot read, or struggle to. Shannon Trust inspires and trains prisoners who can read to teach prisoners who can’t. Join us at our upcoming Wednesday Webinar in conversation with Ian Merrill, CEO of Shannon Trust. We’ll hear about how the organisation continues to support independent reading during the COVID-19 restrictions […]
The PLA Conference 2021 Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 September 2021 Join us at the PLA Conference 2021 for two afternoons of interactive presentations, panels and workshops with prison education experts. With speakers including: The Schedule Day 1 | Wednesday 29 September 2PM – A roundup of the year in prison education, and a discussion […]
‘Prison education is a neglected area, in society generally and within post-secondary education. Yet we have a large – and growing – prison population, whose educational needs are as great as any. For individuals and for wider society, education can play a crucial part in enabling their rehabilitation and subsequent reintegration. Teachers in prison have […]
The Curriculum Working Group, established this year, have been meeting regularly to discuss how PLA can influence the prison education curriculum, and the changes that educators and prisoners would like to see.
We’ve been working with Safe Ground throughout COVID-19 to offer prison educators a space to connect during otherwise solitary lockdown(s). The ‘Common Room’ is a free digital series of conversational sessions for attendees to share their experiences, current challenges and good practice in prisoner education. Following discussions in the Common Room, a group of prison […]
In our submission we argue that progress on reducing the women’s prison population is glacial. Although there is a massive amount of evidence and significant agreement about what reduces women’s offending, this is not being translated into policy or practice. Real progress requires leadership, political will and significant investment. We outline the need for better […]
Developing the prison curriculum is a priority for the PLA, following consultation with our members. This webinar looks at how educators can engage and reengage prison learners as lockdown eases. In this webinar we consider the implications of potential changes to the prison regime, the impacts of lockdown on education progression, and the […]
In this webinar we are joined by Natasha Porter, CEO and Founder of Unlocked Graduates, and Maria, a prison officer graduate of the programme, to learn about the role of officers in promoting prison education. Prison officers should be central to prison education. They get access to every prisoner: prisoners who don’t opt in […]
This week, Francesca Cooney, who coordinates the Secretariat for the Prisoner Learning Alliance, gave evidence to the Education Select Committee in response to their inquiry, ‘Education: Are prisoners being left behind?‘. Key areas of questioning included: access to digital technology; allocations and attendance; incentivising education; and delivering higher level qualifications. Francesca’s responses […]
[This survey is no longer available to complete. Become a member of PLA (free to individuals) to receive our evaluation of the findings in an upcoming email.] We are delighted to announce that we have collaborated with University and College Union (UCU) to create a survey to be completed by prison teachers and others providing […]
© Prisoner Learning Alliance 2021