Are Prisoners Getting the Right Education? Exploring Teaching and Learning of Functional Skills Mathematics and English in England and Wales

This paper addresses education in adult prisons for learners age 18 and over. Global concerns exist about the quality of education in prisons. Studies highlight a range of issues including weak curricula, lack of access to technology-enabled learning, lack of learner engagement and an over-emphasis on the role of education in serving employment-related goals. The result of this across a range of jurisdictions is a curriculum that is dominated by English and mathematics and a lack of focus on vocational skills and training. Although the issues associated with education in prisons are well-documented, there is a significant research gap in relation to the effective delivery of functional literacy and numeracy skills. To address this research gap, this paper outlines the Global Integrated Learning and Engagement (GILE) Framework which has been developed from synthesizing the principles of social learning theory, rehabilitation theory and adult learning theory. The GILE framework extends the existing literature on education in prisons by presenting a coherent model which is underpinned by five over-arching principles; embedded skills development, contextual learning, empowered agency, growth identity and interactive social learning. These principles are subsequently synthesised to produce a potential pathway to reduce reoffending.