London: Teenagers behind bars are getting a better education than thousands of pupils in ordinary schools, according to official watchdogs.
Inmates at a Young Offenders’ Institution (YOI) in the North-West received “outstanding” teaching and English and maths scores were “above the national average”, inspectors found. Behaviour was also described as “very good”.
It is the first time a YOI has had such a glowing assessment. Ofsted and HM Inspector of Prisons said the standard of education in YOI Hindley near Wigan was “as good, if not better”than many children receive in schools and colleges.
Critics said it showed how pupils in state schools were being let down by a lack of discipline in the classroom.
Chris McGovern, a former Ofsted inspector who chairs the Campaign for Real Education, said: “Well done to the Young Offender Institution but what an indictment of the education system in England if it can produce better teaching than schools.” He said the YOI would probably have a better ratio of teachers to pupils than regular schools, but that the key difference would probably be in discipline.
“There will be a much greater emphasis on good order. Chaos reigns in many classrooms — restoring order would have the biggest impact on raising standards in our schools. Teachers need to be re-trained in class control methods.”
Ofsted rated all aspects of learning, skills and work at Hindley as “good”.
The report said the quality of some teaching was “outstanding”, with teachers having “high aspirations” for their charges while poor behaviour was “isolated”. Inmates could gain vocational qualifications in bricklaying and plastering, gain “valuable fork-lift truck driving licences” and get experience in garden maintenance.
Thirteen of the boys in the YOI achieved 26 GCSEs between them, and there was “outstanding” work created in art and bricklaying. The inmates have access to a football and rugby field, a weights room and sports hall, with some taking part in PE five times a week.
Nick Hardwick, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, wrote that the teaching “motivated boys who had been failed by the ordinary school system”.
When contacted by the MoS, the prisons inspectorate said Hindley was being compared with poorly performing schools nationwide, not those nearby in Wigan. Local Labour MP Yvonne Fovargue said: “I think all children deserve a good education and am pleased it is provided both for local children and those within the YOI.”
The local authority said its schools had recently received glowing Ofsted reports.
