Ministers stand accused of downplaying the scale of cuts to prison education budgets after an arms-length body found evidence of “seismic” reductions.
In a letter to prisons minister Lord Timpson, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) claimed the Prison Service provided misleading information on “swingeing” cuts to education across the prison estate, which could reach up to 65 per cent in some jails.
IMB national chair Elisabeth Davies said the Prison Service told IMB policy leads and board chairs that there had been no funding cut, it had “in fact” increased the monetary budget, and the appearance of a reduction was “inflationary pressures increasing the cost of education delivery”.
But Davies said a survey of 60 independent monitoring boards found budget cuts extended “far beyond” inflation which “appears to contradict” the statements given by the Prison Service, sparking calls for a “clear and public” ministerial explanation on how allocation decisions have resulted in “such severe and uneven” impact nationwide.
Five IMBs reported cuts in individual prisons they oversee of between 56 and 65 per cent, while six reported cuts of 46 to 55 per cent, 14 reported cuts of 36 to 45 per cent, and eight reported cuts of 26 to 35 per cent. The remainder of surveyed IMBs reported more modest reductions of between five and 25 per cent.
The IMB has over 100 boards nationally and utilises 1,000 volunteer members to monitor the treatment and conditions of detainees in the prison estate.
IMBs warn that teaching posts have been cut and class sizes expanded, leaving prisoners demotivated.
In the scathing letter sent to Timpson last week, Davies, who has since “unexpectedly” stepped down from her role, expressed overwhelming concern over the lack of transparency around the MOJ’s new £1.5 billion Prison Education Service.
“This situation is rapidly evolving, and some boards have reported that the prisons they monitor were not yet clear, at local level, on what cuts would be made,” Davies said.
“Still more have noted that the effects of the cuts will not be fully realised for many months. The majority of boards expect the impact to be seismic.”
Prisons were informed of their budgets for October 2025 to March 2027 last April.
Nearly £148 million was earmarked for core prison education across 94 jails, according to budget figures obtained by FE Week.
The value of the previous Prisoner Education Framework contract, from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 was £138 million.
But comparisons between budgets were “not straightforward” due to changes in contract structure and delivery arrangements, parliament under-secretary Jake Richards said in answer to a parliamentary question in October.
The MOJ has insisted inflationary pressures mean core education provision delivery has changed but it committed to publishing a prison-level breakdown of changes in “early 2026”.
“We know the vital role education plays in turning offenders away from crime,” An MOJ spokesperson said.
“That is why we are increasing the opportunities for prisoners to access the training and education they need, including extending daily regimes in a number of jails so prisoners can work for longer, and launching sector-specific training with guaranteed job offers on release.”
MOJ ‘in chaos’
The IMB also detailed “dramatic” cuts to Dynamic Purchasing System budgets, said prisoners with learning difficulties were disproportionately affected by the cuts, and revealed a construction tutor was asked to deliver a motor mechanics course.
“The letter sets out that the impact to prisoners is substantial, goes well beyond inflationary pressures, and is affecting prisoners’ ability to engage in education, progress through sentence plans, and spend time out of their cells,” an IMB spokesperson added.
Paul Bridge, head of further education at University and College Union, estimated around 300 teaching staff had been made redundant and warned of “more to follow” as a result of cuts.
He also told FE Week that he was “picking up on” temporary teachers being employed to backfill the redundancies.
“It’s chaos and the MOJ are hiding,” he said.
Bridge demanded an independent review to shed light on prison-level budgets under the new Prison Education Service contract, which after a two-year procurement handed contracts to three existing providers – Milton Keynes College, PeoplePlus, and Novus, part of Manchester-based LTE group.
While IMBs do not directly monitor contracts, Davies said some boards had raised concerns about the “quality” of contractual arrangements under the Prison Education Service contract.
Prisons are subject to incentive payments from the MOJ if they achieve quarterly KPIs such as ‘teaching and quality’ and ‘supporting additional learning needs’, outlined in the Prison Education Service contract documents.
The contract also confirms a 9-month “shadow period” where prisons will still receive incentive payments even if they miss targets.
But Davies claimed the ‘teaching and quality’ KPI had been omitted from the national contract, implying that problems were “anticipated”.
Prison chief inspector Charlie Taylor declined to comment on whether he would launch a review but previously warned that “devastating” real-terms cuts to education in prisons were likely to worsen “appallingly high” reoffending rates.
Andy Slaughter, chair of the House of Commons justice committee, reiterated his November call for clarification on the scale and rationale for any planned cuts.
“Prison education is already underfunded when compared to provision in the community, and such cuts risk undermining efforts to reduce reoffending,” he said.
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