Teachers play a pivotal role in inspiring students and equipping them with the skills and experiences they need to get a job on release and statistics from the Shannon Trust show that nowhere are they more needed than in prison, where over 60% of prisoners struggle to read or write. In addition, Government data shows that 57 % of adult prisoners have literacy levels below those expected of an 11-year-old.
Prison teachers play a crucial role in rehabilitation, reducing reoffending and fostering personal growth among prisoners. They teach a wide range of subjects from English and Maths to construction and hairdressing and aim to equip prisoners with knowledge and skills to better integrate into society upon release.
Speaking ahead of the International Day of Education (January 24th), former fashion designer-turned-prison teacher Alison Brown, 52, who works with prisoners at HMP Preston says: “I retrained as a teacher quite late in my career, but I’ve always been motivated to work with those learners who are the hardest to reach. If you are currently struggling with work-life balance or the demands of day-to-day teaching, but you still enjoy working in a classroom – definitely look into prison teaching."
Amy Le Sueur, former English teacher at a mainstream secondary school and now a prison educator at HMP Durham agrees saying: “I loved being in a school classroom but I increasingly found it hard to manage my workload and began to lose the joy in my job. I knew I was heading for a burnout but wasn't ready to leave education. Prison teaching seemed to encompass the best parts of teaching without the additional workload. It meant not having to run parents’ evenings, take marking home, attend late open evenings or deal with difficult progress meetings. Prison teaching felt like getting back to the core of why I chose this career which was helping others to learn.”
Being a prison teacher is a unique role that combines teaching with social impact. Working in either an adult prison or a youth offending institution (YOI), staff teach learners who are often eager to rebuild their lives and help them gain confidence, learn valuable skills, and work toward reintegration into society.
Alison says: “Patience is key (to being a good prison teacher) with a determination to build bridges and break down barriers. If a prisoner arrives to a lesson unhappy it can be for many reasons so it is important to unpick this and understand the complexities of the environment which can lead to negativity. At times it can just take five minutes of patience and a little flexibility to give them space to talk.”
Amy, 38, adds: “I would say there’s very little difference between a good prison teacher and a good teacher. You need to be patient, engaging, good with people, flexible, calm in the face of a challenge, knowledgeable, fair and genuine. It is really important to be able to separate the person in front of you from the reason they are in prison. The justice system is there to judge, you are there to teach.
“Unlike mainstream education, we have the time to work at our own pace, start building confidence and encourage pride in achievements. For example, we had been covering end-of-sentence punctuation. A few lessons had passed and one of the learners was reading an extract of a text in order to answer some comprehension questions. He said, ‘I’ve never actually noticed full stops before, but I can see them now – they’re everywhere!’”
Prison teachers can make a real difference by helping learners develop the skills to reconnect with families, find stable employment, and contribute to society on release. The benefits of this job include a stable working environment with a clear structure, typically offering 37 hours a week with protected planning and marking time. There's also the opportunity for a good work-life balance compared to other teaching positions.
Kirsty Jones, 33, teaches family learning and healthy lifestyles at HMP Fosse Way and says: "Becoming a prison teacher has always intrigued me, I was nervous at first but after supporting prisoners to rehabilitate, to see a change in their perspectives and for them to achieve their targets gave me a great sense of fulfillment and pride knowing that I’ve made an impact.”
“Teaching family-learning means I get to know the prisoners’ life stories and get to be involved on the visits meeting their families. One story in particular was when a prisoner attended my class - he had no contact with his ex-partner or child but after five weeks into the course, he made positive relationships with them both.”
Amy agrees that the best part of the job is when learners hit their personal targets. She says: “The vast majority of learners in my classes left school very early or had a challenging time in education. One moment sticks out where a learner who was very reluctant to engage, now sits at the start of each lesson and marvels at how neat his book is and how much progress he’s made. These moments happen a lot, and I’m very grateful to have the headspace to appreciate them.”
Prison teaching is an extraordinary job at the heart of the rehabilitation process. To find out more follow the link https://prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk/roles-at-hmpps/overview-of-the-prison-teacher-role/?utm_source=media&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=education_day