Listen to this story Members can listen to an AI-generated audio version of this article. 1.0x Audio narration uses an AI-generated voice. 0:00 0:00 Become a member to listen to this article Subscribe Eight prisons in the West Midlands have finally been appointed an education supplier after an initial failed procurement process. Existing contract-holder Novus will continue to provide core education services in the region from September 1 following the conclusion of a second tendering exercise. The Ministry of Justice re-ran the Prison Education Service (PES) contract procurement for the West Midlands lot last summer after bidders came “exceptionally close” in scoring. Novus was granted a six-month extension on the previous contract whilst the new contract was retendered. It now means Novus runs education services for 50 prisons across England, accounting for over one third of the public prison estate. Novus, which is part of Manchester-based college group LTE Group, secured four contracts worth up to £255 million in August 2025 when the winners of the PES tender were announced. The value of the West Midlands lot has not been disclosed. Peter Cox, managing director of Novus, said: “Novus has a long track record of effective collaboration with prison regimes and employers across the West Midlands, and we are delighted to continue delivering education in this region. “For more than three decades Novus has been providing high-quality education and training in the prison estate, working with learners who are the furthest from the labour market. We are proud of our track record in supporting individuals into employment after release, as well as the innovative practice led by our committed teams of education professionals. “We look forward to working closely with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to help more people in the West Midlands turn their lives around under PES.” New-vus? Novus is one of three suppliers for the new prison education service, which began in October. The winners of PES were supposed to be announced in early 2025, with contracts starting in April, but the MoJ delayed to “allow more time for contract award and mobilisation”. The contracts, which began in October and are worth up to £1.5 billion in total, were handed to three existing providers: Milton Keynes College, People Plus and Novus. It meant education in just 26 out of England’s 102 prisons changed hands. Jails are currently experiencing cuts to planned education hours, with prisons in Greater Manchester and Merseyside being hit the hardest since the new contract took effect six months ago. Novus manages education in seven prisons in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire region, which are now subject to a 40 per cent reduction in education hours. Its other contracts, in Yorkshire and Cumbria, are facing cuts of between 24 and 26 per cent. But Novus’s eight prisons in the North East have weathered the cuts, seeing just a 2 per cent reduction in education hours. According to the MoJ, the regional differences are due to a “revised” funding formula to prison budgets which is based on prison population and regional cost differences.