1. Prisoner Learning Alliance 16th September 2016 Cardiff Metropolitan University
‘The Future of Prison Education: Personalised and Peer-Enabled Approaches’

2. Vocational Maths Mentors
Coates Review - maths skills embedded in work settings
Maths naturally embedded in vocational learning
Not always identified - opportunities rarely exploited
Prisons have opportunities in vocational and industrial activities e.g. laundry, production and manufacturing
“Vocational Mentors” develops sustainable support for vocational maths

3. Vocational Maths Mentors
Barriers: staff skills, attitudes, capacity and capability
Staff have limited resource to develop learners’ maths skills.
Staff do not readily identify opportunities
Many prisoners have high level maths skills, drive and capacity to support others
Programme addresses issues through joint work with staff and mentors

4. Vocational Maths Mentors
Three day programme
Builds on previous maths mentor programmes
Trains and supports vocational staff to develop opportunities and guidance to work with mentors
Trains prisoners to support staff and other prisoners
Use prisoners’ capacity and skills to help others develop their maths skills in vocational contexts.

5. Participating Prisons
Cluster 1 Midlands:
HMP Stafford, HMP Swinfen Hall, HMP Drake Hall
Cluster 2 East of England:
Group A: HMP Littlehay, HMP Bedford Day 1
Group B: HMP Lincoln, HMP North Sea Camp, HMP Stocken
Group C: HMP Warren Hill, HMP Highpoint, HMP Holleslay Bay

6. Support programme Each prison has 3 day programme
Raise awareness among prison staff of the importance of embedding maths in vocational activities
Work with prison staff and prisoner mentors to identify, agree and implement realistic opportunities for vocational maths learning
Work with prison staff and mentors to agree effective approaches, roles and responsibilities to embed maths in vocational activities
Evidence the impact of the programme on the prison, staff, mentors and learners

7. Day 1 Support Band 3 + Band 4 Officers to:
Develop as maths champions / enablers
Articulate personal feelings / concerns about role as math champions / enablers
Become aware of the mathematics underpinning production in workshops
Acknowledge that enhancing prisoners’ maths skills can improve productivity
How maths can improve productivity and prisoners’ skills and attitudes
Identify opportunities for prisoners’ mathematical development
Explore some mathematical activity and develop personal maths skills
Develop personal maths confidence
Discuss mentor role, benefits and working practices

8. Identify maths mentors
Before next session
Identify maths mentors

9. Day2 Morning: mentor trainees
 Understand role of a vocational maths mentor
Understand benefits to mentors and mentees of the mentoring process
Understand boundaries and responsibilities
Explore personal maths history, and develop confidence to mentor
Explore mathematical activities and develop confidence in mathematical competence
Develop mentoring skills (listening skills, coaching skills)
Explore potential for personal maths learning
Afternoon: mentor trainees with Band 3 and 4 Officers
Explore and agree how the mentoring scheme will run in the industrial workshops
Try out maths learning materials
Adapt maths learning materials for use by mentors with mentees
Plan to adapt and trial more materials

10. Trial materials and mentoring model Identify resource gaps
Before next session
Trial materials and mentoring model Identify resource gaps

11. Day 3 Band 4 Officers and mentors Review trialled materials
Develop materials further
Develop new materials
Review initial mentoring sessions
Develop further mentor skills

12. Post - delivery Collating and analysing resources
Ensuring resources mathematically and educationally sound
Accessibility checks
Hosting on VC
Tracking access and use
Exploring use of multiple stakeholder support
Evaluation
“What employers want”

13. Models
Super-mentors and mentors
Direct delivery
Train the trainer

14. Roles Mentors Staff Prison
Support peers in workshops/ on the wing/ in dedicated sessions
Monitor and record mentor activities
Co –design and develop maths resources for specific vocational areas
Staff
Identify opportunities to embed vocational maths
Agree and facilitate mentor role
Co-design maths resources
Prison
Facilitate and support mentor activities

15. Prison and staff attitudes
Initially, industry managers / band 3 / band 4 officers resistant
Following day 1 training
“All of the training was eye opening. Great!”
“fun to be involved in, made maths interesting”
“very flexible approach”
“a very good experience”
“various activities which were fun to do”
“very satisfied with all the training materials”
“very inspirational!”
“many ideas generated through day”
“thoroughly enjoyable, informative and relaxed”

16. Future actions
 “incorporate maths by letting prisoners take responsibility for counting work and estimating work left to do”
“encourage the lads to focus on the maths side of things when we do our job”
“help embed maths in the workshops and help empower the instructors to do this without being “math TUTORS’
“do more active educational input with prisoners”
co –design / adapt resources with mentors
Work with and support mentors

17. Mentor responses Qualifications Responsibility Sense of achievement
Worthwhile contribution and experience

18. Role of technology Resource hosting and prisoner access
New peer mentor tile on the VC
Host developed and adapted resources
Passport to success
Recording informal/ non accredited learning
Multiple stakeholders set tasks

19. Technology Through the gate Data tracking How many access resources
Staff
Mentors
Mentees
For how long
Through the gate

20. Discuss Comments / suggestions
Are there possibilities to increase impact of mentor support?
What are possibilities for vocational english?
What are the future possibilities of technology, in this and other programmes?

21. Contact
Susan Easton Head of Digital Learning Learning and Work Institute Tel:

22. Contact
Susan Easton Head of Digital Learning Learning and Work Institute Tel: