Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of education courses embarked upon by prisoners are (a) completed in the same prison in which they were started, (b) completed in a different prison and (c) not completed.

Data on learner participation and achievement is recorded by prison education providers and held by the Department for Education. The available published data on prison education participation and completion rates covers the academic years 2010/11 to 2017/18 and can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/761349/201718_Nov_MAIN_OLASS_Particpation_FINALv1.xlsx

Our reforms to prison education are in line with our Education and Employment Strategy. The new Prison Education Framework contracts let on the basis of groups of prisons within which many prisoners can expect to serve their sentence, mean that continuity of provision should improve significantly. Our key reforms to empower prison governors, enabling them to determine their curriculum and how it is organised and delivered within the context of a coherent Lot, will improve significantly the system’s ability to ensure learning that commences is completed.