Speeches by Cox.

“That brings us to contracts. Could you talk us through the contracting framework for education services in prison, broadly speaking?”

“In fact, I would like to bring the OU in, because I know you are online learners par excellence. You have managed to crack that model in prison. What is the challenge for scaling that up and allowing non-networked devices—tablets for prisoners—to have access to self-learning modules, online books and all these things? …”

“How many of those would have digital facilities like that?”

“You said you are in 43 prisons, is that right?”

“I am going to talk about contracts, and it could come in there, could it not?”

“There is a whole raft of qualifications, are there not, in gym instructing, personal fitness, or sports coaching, which are being offered in really limited numbers, but which could be really transformative?”

“I will just push that a little further. We went to Buckley Hall, and we visited a fantastic textile workshop, which was empty. It was suggested to us that one of the reasons why there was a lower uptake of the courses offered there was because there was not an accredited qualification attached to it. I know that in oth…”

“Would you say there is scope to review the whole contracting process in the prison estate?”

“Those of us who are on the Committee more permanently have been to several prisons, and we have heard that workshops do not run and education sessions do not run. Although you have highlighted absenteeism or attendance issues within the sessions that run, I am also interested in pressing you on why sessions do not run …”

“Could I just ask for clarity, what is the value of the Novus contract currently?”

“I am looking at your website, which says, “By providing access to cutting-edge technology and training,” you are providing prisoners with essential digital literacy skills and boosting confidence. How realistic is that actually? It is not the picture we have seen on our visits.”

“I am the Member of Parliament for Colchester. I was previously a professor in criminology and sociology at the University of Essex, and my interests are declared on the register.”

“There is a question around technology in prison education: in short, do you think it is being used to its full extent? It can be a yes or no answer.”

“Returning to contracting prison education, Lee, in your view in your Ofsted capacity, does the current commissioning framework work well to provide education services to prisoners?”

“Jo, you have indicated a view on commissioning; perhaps you would reiterate it here. UCU has called for a comprehensive review of the curriculum and contracting framework before the Prison Education Service is implemented. Why are you arguing that?”

“Is that Weston College and Milton Keynes College?”

“Can I ask a practical question? To your knowledge, how many prisons have Storybook Dads?”

“Just to push a little more on that, the 2023-24 annual report by HMI Prisons said prison leaders struggled “to hold their education providers to account where services were ineffective.” Do you have a view on why that might be?”

“I just wanted to pick up on the question of funding and the extent to which that is a barrier to you in providing education in prisons.”

“How many of those would have digital facilities like that?”