HMPPS Further Education in England and Wales

By 1st April 2025, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) requires a provision with a third-party delivery partner to support prisoners in applying for and completing access modules, to enable access to further education. The purpose of the service is to enable learners to test their ability, interest, and aptitude to study at a higher level before taking the significant step of applying for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Student Loans Company. The provision also entails supporting access to vocational and other qualification which are not in scope of the Prisoner Education Service or Education Dynamic Purchasing System 

Activities will include:  

·Publishing and promote Further Education in prisons/secure environments  

·Purchasing access modules and distance learning courses (up to Level 4) achieving economies of scale 

·Processing applications  

·Enabling access to distance learning materials through various digital channels and on paper where necessary

Further Education provision is currently offered to learners serving their sentence within prisons, in secure hospitals, and on release in the community under licence. Engaging in Further Education has been found to improve a prisoner’s chance of securing employment upon release and reduce reoffending. Further Education study has been shown to improve prisoner’s mental wellbeing, helping prisoners to look positively towards the future and reintegration into society.