Feltham Young Offenders Institute is often in the news. The offenders held there have committed serious crimes and are marginalised from society. However, at Shaw Trust we believe everyone has the right to a future and we work in partnership with our Youth Custody Service colleagues providing education to the boys.
The majority of the boys have had a poor relationship with education in the past and engaging them takes patience and understanding. 50% of students at Feltham are assessed as having special educational needs and other boys the teachers believe have undiagnosed needs are also assessed. This ensures all candidates can get the additional time and adjustments they need to succeed. This year this work has paid off for 30 of the learners who sat 178 exams including GCSEs, AS levels and BTECs.
This year our team also had to manage the sudden arrival of candidates. Surprised they are still expected to take their exams at Feltham, many arrive unprepared having often missed school.
Supporting learners preparing for exams and facilitating GCSEs is complex, but in secure settings there is an extra layer of complexity. There is a lack of available space to sit exams and other learning activities have to be rearranged to accommodate exams. Many learners need to be invigilated on a 1:1 basis for their safety, requiring all colleagues to complete invigilation training.
And unlike many exam centres, just getting the papers into the hands of the students is a challenge. Exam papers are delivered securely to all centres but getting materials into a large prison means added security. One exam nearly didn’t take place as colleagues had to track down the delivery and rip open boxes to find the science papers in time for that morning’s exam.
However, all of this is worth it to know the boys are given the opportunity to achieve nationally recognised exams that will benefit them. And whether the results in August are passes or not, the boys will have experienced the same exams as every other child in the 2023 cohort.
