A big thank you to PET's trustees this #TrusteesWeek. It was brilliant to spend time together at our away day recently - seeing their passion, commitment and generosity first hand. Some have even gone the extra mile literally: Seun ran the Royal Parks Half last month and has raised nearly £600!

Good to see this recommendation on increasing access to education and training in today’s Justice Select Committee report on drugs in prison. committees.parliament.uk/committee/10...

Nice to read about something positive in the prison system - the work of @libertychoiruk.bsky.social!

This is great from Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors’ Association, on what we miss out on by cutting prison education budgets: “With enough staff, in those prisons where the regime works, the atmosphere changes. Disorder and debt shrink. Violence falls. Staff job satisfaction climbs."

I'm looking forward to giving evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee on prison education in Wales this afternoon, with @stgilestrust.bsky.social and Estyn . Lots to cover, including funding, breadth of provision and digital learning. www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/2557747...

Great to read about this partnership between East Surrey College and HMP High Down, funded by the Mayor of London. The project helps people nearing the end of their sentence prepare for the future by equipping them with green technology skills in an innovative Immersive Suite in the prison.

Today's @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social report on work and training is worrying yet unsurprising. The government needs to fix prison regimes and the first step should be reversing cuts to education budgets that will only make a bad situation worse. hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

Congratulations and thank you to all the amazing runners who ran the Royal Parks Half for PET - we are so grateful for your support! Every donation, big or small, helps people prepare for release, improve their mental health and find hope for a brighter future: https://ow.ly/iQUX50X9g5j

Good luck to everyone running the Royal Parks Half today! We have six wonderful runners fundraising for PET. Here’s why Liv is choosing to run for us today. You can support her efforts here: https://ow.ly/2gaw50X9egO

So far this year, we have funded 1,210 distance learning courses for learners in prison. Jonan is running the Royal Parks Half on Sunday so that more people in prison can access transformative education: https://ow.ly/Cbxu50X9clG

Thank you so much to all our amazing runners who will be running the Royal Parks Half this Sunday to fundraise for PET. We can't wait to cheer from the sidelines! You can help Ashton reach her target here: www.justgiving.com/page/ashton-...

I've had a look at the prison education statistics for last year and there's some good news in there, albeit very modest and from a low starting point. Hard to see how that will be sustained, though, with upcoming budget cuts about to hit provision that was already chronically underfunded.

Small gains in prison education at risk from budget cuts @jonbcollins.bsky.social of @prisonersed.bsky.social reviews the latest performance figures in the shadow of looming budget cuts. www.russellwebster.com/small-gains-...

Good to see @feweek.bsky.social covering the recent @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social report on child custody. Young people are spending far too much time in their cell and not enough time in classrooms or doing other positive activities.

While young people in the community are starting a new school year or preparing for college or university, young people in custody are sitting in their cell doing and learning nothing. There should be no more excuses. It’s time for a complete reset of youth custody that puts education first.

A huge, huge thank you to Richard Farrant, who's currently celebrating his 80th birthday by cycling from John O'Groats to Lands End and is raising money for @prisonersed.bsky.social. If you can contribute at all, I'm sure that'd help him on his way. www.justgiving.com/page/richard...

'Prison education funding cuts are a serious misstep' @jonbcollins.bsky.social of @prisonersed.bsky.social on how new research shows most prisoners were failed by the education system. Prison education budget-cutting risks failing them twice

The Frank Awards - a joint programme between @longfordtrust.bsky.social and PET - help people in prison to start a degree with @openuniversity.bsky.social. At his graduation ceremony, held in prison and attended by his family, a Frank Award holder spoke about what getting a degree meant for him 👇

Another eye-catching new initiative: teaching people in prison to build bikes from bamboo. Bamboo Bicycle Club runs a six-week bike-building course at HMP Lowdham Grange. The curriculum starts with theory lessons on workshop safety and bamboo, then spans product design, mechanics and business.

Over a four-year sentence that saw him moved between six prisons, Will Pendray carried his notebooks with him, using poetry as the one constant in an often traumatic journey. He's now published his debut anthology after gaining an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Brighton.

Great to read about The Lock Inn, the mock pub-restaurant in HMP Liverpool that's training people in skills like cooking, serving and running a kitchen so they can work towards hospitality qualifications. Everyone who completes the course is guaranteed a job interview with the Marston's pub chain.

Last month, we reached a new milestone: we have given 50,000 educational awards to people in prison since we were founded in 1989! There's no better way to mark the moment than to share good news about one of the learners we've supported this year: Jacob passed his A-level Maths, achieving an A* 👏

This #RememberACharityWeek, find out how leaving a gift to PET in your will can support learners like David, who’s studying for his Health and Safety qualifications: bit.ly/PET-legacy #GiftsinWills

We’ve partnered with Farewill, the UK's largest will-writing service, to offer free wills to our friends and supporters. Claim yours today and pass on a passion for learning. #RememberACharityWeek

Good to see innovative things - in this case a workshop teaching people to build bikes out of bamboo - happening in prisons despite all the current challenges. And also good to see the value of family connections being realised. www.ft.com/content/6ebe...

This is a good article on a prison-university partnership in the US.

Today marks the start of #RememberACharityWeek, celebrating the wonderful people who leave a gift to charity in their will. After taking care of your family and friends, any gift – however big or small - can make a huge impact. Find out more here: bit.ly/PET-legacy

The government has chosen the easy way out in the new Sentencing Bill, basing earned progression solely on complying with prison rules rather than on participation in education and training. They should look again at how it can be used to give people the skills they need to turn their lives around.

Staff shortages, and broader challenges like overcrowding, have a significant impact on the delivery of education. The government must address these and put right the severe underfunding of education across the estate so children – and adults – can gain the skills they need to thrive on release.

Some thoughts on the new prison education contracts. Broadly speaking there's some change but there's a lot that's the same, and the biggest question is whether there's enough funding available to drive much-needed improvements. (Thanks, as always, to @russellwebster.com for publishing it!)

New prison education contracts - more of the same? Jon Collins of @prisonersed.bsky.social outlines the new prison education contracts. www.russellwebster.com/new-prison-e...

There's still time to apply for our Policy Manager role! The closing date for applications is this Monday at 5pm. Help us influence prison education policy and improve educational experiences for people in prison. Apply here 👇

Thank you so much to everyone who supported our appeal. We raised £10,127 which will be matched thanks to a generous trust to total £20,127! Your generosity impacts the lives of so many people in prison, supporting them on their journey of finding hope, drive and recovery through education.

This is a really helpful rundown from FE Week on the new prison education contracts, which begin this October. It reveals that the Ministry of Justice failed to award a contract for the West Midlands due to “exceptionally close scoring” between bidders - with Novus granted a six-month extension.

The Ministry of Justice has awarded the new contracts for education provision across the adult public prison estate in England. The new Prisoner Education Services (PES) contracts will replace the current contracts in the autumn. Find out the providers for the 11 regional lots here ⬇️

As part of our project - funded by The National Lottery Community Fund - to reach and support more learners in prison, we spoke to over 60 people across eight prisons to hear about their learning experience. Here's a look at some of the changes we have already made thanks to their vital feedback.

There are lots of opportunities this year and next to influence prison education policy and improve the experience for learners in prison. We are looking for a Policy Manager who can hit the ground running and make sure that PET shapes this important agenda. Apply here 👇

Last June we launched our first digital courses for people in prison. The project has already made a powerful impact - with learners accessing the courses over 2,800 times across 95% of prisons in England and Wales! Find out what we've learned from bringing digital learning to prisons so far ⬇️

It’s the last week of our Summer Appeal and we have raised 82% of our £20,000 target so far! There's still time to have your donation doubled thanks to matched funding. Support our appeal today to give more people in prison hope, drive and recovery through education.

Good to have the opportunity to give evidence to the London Assembly’s Economy, Culture and Skills Committee for their inquiry on employment for people leaving prison. Thank you to @hinabokharild.bsky.social for the invitation. You can watch the session at webcasts.london.gov.uk/Assembly/Eve...

For many learners, studying with PET goes much beyond a qualification to add to their CV: it represents hope, determination and self-worth. As the prison population continues to increase, our support is more vital than ever. Have your donation doubled today.

Studying with PET can have a positive impact on not only the learner. The skills they gain can have a ripple effect, impacting the lives of many more. Make your impact today by donating to our Summer Appeal: Hope, drive and recovery through education.

We are looking for an exceptional policy professional to become our new Policy Manager. You will play a key role in our policy and public affairs work at a critical time for prison education policy. Find out how to apply 👇

"You have a sense of accomplishment that nobody can take away from you. You have a sense of dignity that nobody can take away from you.” This @newyorker.com article on teaching lifers in a US prison is well worth a read. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

Love this from Andy, who studied in prison with support from PET. "That’s what PET is giving people in prison today: the hope, the drive and just a day where they can feel that little bit normal and that: 'I’m OK'." You can read his full story at prisonerseducation.org.uk/story/andys-....

Andy was at one of the lowest points in his life when he discovered PET. Studying helped him on his journey of recovery, giving him the skills to help himself and others. Help support more learners like Andy through our Summer Appeal and have your donation doubled: bit.ly/PETSummerApp...

In the @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social Annual Report, the Chief Inspector calls for the government to tackle the overwhelming amount of drugs in our prisons. Demand is fuelled by boredom, with limited access to education or work. Our recent briefing sets out ten recommendations to change that.

Predictably downbeat overview of purposeful activity in @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social annual report. But it also picks out some bright spots, eg links with employers at Hatfield + Kirklevington Grange and reading at Rye Hill + Standford Hill. hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/chief-i...

My brilliant fundraising colleagues work flat out to enable @prisonersed.bsky.social to fund as many people in prison as possible to do a distance learning course. For this appeal we have a generous match funder, so if you can support us and what we do, your donation will be *DOUBLED*.

Today we are launching our Summer Appeal - Hope, drive and recovery through education – to support more people in prison with distance learning courses. All donations will be doubled while matched funding lasts! Double your impact today: bit.ly/PETSummerApp...