Garry’s story: studying for a degree in prison
Garry went into prison with just one O Level to his name. He left with a BSc (Honours) in Environmental Science.
Garry went into prison with just one O Level to his name. He left with a BSc (Honours) in Environmental Science.
We’ve launched our new five year strategy for 2022-2026. Read the foreword by PET alumnus and member of our Alumni Advisory Group Dalton.
This course is for anyone who wants to learn to draw. Using basic art materials provided with the course, you will learn key techniques, such as contour drawing, using negative space, drawing different tones, conveying light and shade, using a vanishing point and drawing in perspective. The course encourages you to practice sketching, whenever and wherever you can. You will improve your practical skills at a fast pace, so you can explore your own creativity.
The course consists of five units:
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English. Confirmation also required that the prison will permit use of materials listed below
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based. The course also contains the following materials:
Assignments: Six assessments
Exams: None
Prison Support Requirements: Support completion and submission of assignments. Ensure access to materials provided.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Drawing 1: Drawing Skills (OCA)
Education was key to Dominic leading a life away from crime and helping the next generation of construction workers.
The University of Edinburgh’s Life Beyond project inspires learners in prison to explore and produce designs of settlements beyond Earth.
Jon Collins talks the challenges prison education is facing, digital learning, and how people in prison can help shape the charity’s future.
For those who already have a basic understanding of bookkeeping, this course shows you how to use Sage 50cloud Accounts software to manage daily processes as well as more advanced functions – such as producing invoices, credit control, reconciling accounts and management reports. You will also get an excellent grounding in double entry bookkeeping, giving you the knowledge to process, control and correct accounts to produce accurate information.
The course has 8 modules:
1.Banking procedures
2.Principles of recording and processing financial transactions
3.Principles of VAT
4.Professional values and basic business legislation
5.Setting up accounting software to manage accounting information
6.Process routine payments and receipts using a computerised system
7.Maintaining and recording the cash book
8. Maintaining the journal
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English and Level 2 Maths
Format of Course Materials: CD-ROMS plus workbooks
Assignments: A series of self-assessed tests, and a case study
Exams: Two summative tests
Prison Support Requirements: Ensure and facilitate PC use. Support completion and submission of assignments. Facilitate and invigilate exam.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Sage Level 3 Computerised Accounting for Business
Find Out More: You can read more about Sage Qualifications here
Jointly developed by Sage UK in partnership with Skillsfirst, this accredited qualification could help you become a bookkeeper, or start your own business. Aimed at beginners, the course provides an introduction to Sage computerised accounting software. You will gain the knowledge of how the software works using double-entry bookkeeping, and explore the responsibilities of working within bookkeeping and the principles of banking procedures.
This course has four modules:
1.Using a computerised accounting application
2.Introduction to book-keeping
3.Working within book-keeping
4.Banking procedures
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English and Level 2 Maths
Format of Course Materials: CD-ROMS plus workbooks
Assignments: A series of self-assessed tests, and a case study
Exams: Two summative tests
Prison Support Requirements: Ensure and facilitate PC use. Support completion and submission of assignments. Facilitate and invigilate exam.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Sage Level 2 Computerised Accounting for Business
Find Out More: You can read more about Sage Qualifications here
This level 3 qualification will give you the advanced skills required to be the bookkeeper for a small firm or within an accounts department. You will build your understanding of cash flow management, preparing VAT returns, final accounts for sole traders and the principles of partnership accounting.
The course consists of ten modules:
1.Principles of double entry bookkeeping
2. Principles of accounting for not for profit organisations
3.Fundamentals of incomplete records
4.Principles of preparing financial statements for sole traders
5.Fundamentals of bookkeeping and accounting for partnerships
6.Principles of cash management
7.Principles of VAT
8.Cash management
9.Preparing and completing VAT returns
10.Computerised Accounting Software
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English and Maths, plus a previous Sage qualification or experience.
Format of Course Materials: CD-ROMs plus workbooks
Assignments: A series of self-assessed tasks, and a case study
Exams: Two summative tests
Prison Support Requirements: Ensure and facilitate PC use. Support completion and submission of assignments. Facilitate and invigilate exam.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Sage Level 4 CIMA Certificate
Find Out More: You can read more about Sage Qualifications here
PET’s Welsh Prisons Project has pioneered many of the changes we have made to improve our support for learners in recent times.
A collaboration between Learning Together, Coracle Inside and HMPPS is yielding exciting developments in the provision of digital learning.
A new connected short course delivered at HMP Hull is supported by chromebooks through Learning Together’s partnership with Coracle Inside.
Three prison university partnerships come together to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their role in prisons, and what the future may hold for their work.
Charles Cockell, from Edinburgh University, discusses the successful Life Beyond project established through a partnership between Fife College and the Scottish Prison Service. Life Beyond challenges prisoners to think about science in a creative way.
PET’s Head of Policy outlines seven creative – and sometimes courageous – ways prisons can support education as they emerge from lockdown.
PET Volunteer and Doctoral Researcher Xander Ryan explains how he created short courses to improve learners’ study skills and help them progress.
Learning a language is a great way to immerse yourself in a new culture and can help break down barriers when you meet people from other countries. It can also give you an added advantage if you want to work for a company with international customers.
While our language courses do not result in a qualification, they are ideal if you are interested in speaking and understanding a new language to a high standard.
We offer the following languages via Linguaphone’s CD-and-workbook complete courses, which take you from beginner to advanced:
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish.
This course requires access to a C.D. Player - PET cannot provide this.
Entry Requirements: English Level 2
Format of Course Materials: CD-ROMs plus workbooks
Assignments: None – these is a self-assessed course.
Exams: None
Prison Support Requirements: Ensure access to a CD Player
Tutor Support: No
What’s Next? Another Language!
Find Out More: Linguaphone offer further information here.
Bullied at school and disillusioned with the education system, Dalton fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up in prison. But in amongst the chaos, he discovered the courses offered by PET and a world of new possibilities.
Pictures, postcards and inspiration from our 30th birthday party, as staff, trustees, former prisons learners, supporters and founders gathered to help us celebrate.
‘Emma’ started her life sentence with a history of domestic violence and addiction. She tells PET how studying for a degree in English Literature helped her towards recovery and a positive future.
The next step on from the CIMA Level 4 Certificate, this course provides the full range of skills needed to become an advanced user of Sage 50 Accounts Professional. The course will build your knowledge of sole trader accounts and takes you through the year end process, as well as exploring controlling cash, limited liability partnerships, importing data and limited companies.
The course consists of three units:
These units cover the following subjects:
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English and Maths, plus CIMA Level 4
Format of course materials: CD-ROMs and workbooks
Assignments: A series of self-assessed tests and a case study
Exams: One exam (1 hour 30 minutes)
Prison Support Requirements: Ensure and facilitate PC Access. Facilitate and Invigilate exams.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s next? OU Access Module YO33: Starting with Science, Technology and Maths
Find out more: On Sage’s website here
Jointly developed by Sage and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), this course offers a grounding in computerised accounting. It provides you with an introduction to the Sage 50 software and gives you the practical skills required by businesses to perform accounting functions. You will find out more about concepts like transactions, reconciliation, management and reporting, VAT returns, remittance, and project costing.
The course consists of seven units:
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English and Maths, plus a Sage Level 3 qualification
Format of course materials: CD-ROMs and workbooks
Assignments: A series of self-assessed tests and a case study
Exams: Two exams
Prison Support Requirements: Ensure and facilitate PC Access. Facilitate and Invigilate exams.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s next? CIMA Acccredited Sage Level 5 Higher Certificate
Find out more: On Sage’s website here
Thanks to your inspiring support, we raised over £30,000 for women in prison during the Big Give Christmas Challenge. Your support is already making a difference to women studying in prisons across England and Wales. Read about the steps they’re taking to build themselves brighter futures.
Some of the women we’ve funded have gone on to support others on a similar journey. Studying for a Diploma in counselling meant Ola could help other women in prison transform their lives through education.
From sports tutors to librarians, the winners of this year’s Prison Learning Alliance Awards all go the extra mile to promote prison learning.
Find out why they’re running in support of PET and how you can donate.
Jason was 17 when he went to prison. At the end of his sentence he decided to apply to university. In this video interview, he talks about overcoming rejection to gain a place at university, and why all institutions should welcome people with a history of imprisonment.
Egerton’s path to working in finance started in prison, when he saw a book about investing in the library. Getting funding from PET allowed him to take the next step towards realising his ambitions and still inspires today.
© Prisoners' Education Trust 2024