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Written question asked by Janet Daby (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 December 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 December 2023 (named day). It was answered by Edward Argar (Conservative) on Monday, 18 December 2023 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Young Offender Institutions: Education

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours children spent in education was in each (a) young offender institution and (b) secure training centre in each week of November 2023.

Answer

We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful, and are committed to ensuring that children and young people have the necessary and appropriate access to education, skills, and work provision, with a consistent daily programme of activities.

Figures for November 2023 for average hours spend in education are being quality-assured for publication, and are therefore not yet available. Total figures for October, the most recent month for which data have been verified, are provided in the table below:

Establishment

Average no. of hours per week i

HMYOI Cookham Wood

Not currently available

HMYOI Feltham

8.7

Parc YOI

19.0

HMYOI Wetherby

9.6

HMYOI Werrington

13.7

Oakhill STCii

24.2

Notes:

1 YOI figures are for classroom-based hours only: vocational training is not included.

1 Average number of educational and vocational training hours per week at Oakhill.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is taking a number of measures to improve access to education and training across Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) in the youth secure estate, and at Oakhill Secure Training Centre. We are reviewing regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, balancing openness with the requirement to ensure safety. We are also committed to providing education and enrichment for those for whom a classroom setting is not appropriate, and a central review is being carried out of steps YOIs can take to reduce the number of children and young people who are unable to mix. Conflict resolution practitioners at each site are working with children and young people to resolve conflict between individuals and groups, and to help them engage in opportunities available in our care. There has been notable success in reducing the number of regime groups in YOIs, with increased interactions and more time-out-of-room as a result.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
6654
Session
2023-24
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Education Young offenders Secure training centres Young offender institutions
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk