Mark O'Mahony

Are prisons now better able to recognise additional learning needs (ALNs) while simultaneously losing the capacity to meet them? Independent Monitoring Boards warn that people with ALNs are being disproportionately affected by cuts. Our long read looks at the state of support in prisons 👇

Really important stuff about the impact of education cuts on women in prison. Very glad to see @prisonersed.bsky.social and @workingchance.bsky.social putting this out there to highlight it.

Women in prison are losing education when they need it most. Education hours in women's prisons have been cut by an average of 30%, compared with 25% across men’s prisons. Our CEO Jon Collins and Natasha Finlayson OBE, CEO at Working Chance, are calling on the government to reverse the cuts.

You just can't keep putting more and more people into already overstretched prisons and expect the regimes to cope. Any increase in capacity has to come with more staff, more education places, more jobs etc. Instead education has been cut, inexplicably. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Ant has lived experience of the justice system and has seen first-hand the benefits education can bring to people in prison. Here's why he's running the Royal Parks Half for PET this October - for a second time! Help him hit his £500 target here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/runningpetant

Strengthening distance learning in prisons - @prisonersed.bsky.social blogs on the importance of distance learning in prisons www.russellwebster.com/strengthenin...

In the face of increasing pressures, our new report – Beyond the classroom – sets out ten things prison leaders can do to protect and strengthen distance learning in their establishments, alongside five things the government must do to stabilise and support the wider system. Read it here 👇

Depressing but unsurprising to see this in today's @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social report on HMP Manchester. Prisons are having to adapt to big cuts in provision and it'd be impossible to absorb a 54% cut without it having a significant impact. hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

✂️ Prison education cuts have fallen hardest on jails in Greater Manchester and Merseyside where planned teaching hours have been slashed by 40 per cent https://feweek.co.uk/revealed-prisons-with-most-severe-cuts-to-education-hours/

Prison education is proven to reduce reoffending and promote employment on release. We cannot tackle the crisis in our prison system by making it harder for people to access the opportunities they need to build a positive future on release. The Government must rethink these cuts.

New figures show that children in prison are still being failed - locked in their cells for most of the day, their legal right to education breached routinely. Later this year the government will set out its plans for improving standards. It's a chance for a total reset that puts education first.

If you have lived experience of prison education, why not join our drop in on 17th March to find out more about this opportunity? More info on the link below. Hopefully see you there!

#CareDay

We always love getting postcards from learners letting us know how they're getting on with their course. Barry is taking his Bookkeeping Certificate with PET - the start of his journey to becoming a freelance accountant.

"We must properly fund prison education. Some institutions face cuts of up to 60% in their education provision. That’s not just short-sighted, it’s self-defeating." Very good article on the importance of literacy and prison education by @pauldaviesmp.bsky.social. politicsuk.com/literacy-beh...

The London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has published a report highlighting the challenges people face finding work after prison, and the impact this has on London’s economy. Read our evidence which features in the report here: https://ow.ly/OmvW50XVYcY https://ow.ly/qmOH50XVYe0

Prison education: it’s time to bridge the digital divide Cassie Edmiston, Head of Fundraising and External Affairs at @prisonersed.bsky.social , sets out how the government can boost digital learning in prisons. www.russellwebster.com/prison-educa...

Education can be the key to unlocking a brighter future for someone in prison. Your support means more learners like Robin can lay the foundations for a new career. Support our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge to have your donation doubled today: https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2

Our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge is now live! This Christmas, we hope to raise just over £45,000 to fund 66 distance learning courses for people in prison. From today, any donation made to PET via the Big Give website will be DOUBLED. https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2

Introducing our 2026–2027 Course Prospectus – PET's most forward-looking and accessible edition yet! The prospectus includes cutting-edge courses on AI and environmental sustainability, as well as new digital learning opportunities. Read it here: prisonerseducation.org.uk/2025/12/new-...

It is outrageous that all YOIs in England are delivering less than children's legally mandated 15 hours education a week. When we hold young people in detention, we must give them the building blocks for a better future. The Government must put education first, for all young people in custody.

We are joining the Zahid Mubarek Trust’s Movement for Race Equality in Prisons. We support their call for renewed ambition, action and accountability on race equality across the prison system. Find out more about the movement and how to join here ⬇️

The Justice Committee's new report highlights the dire state our prisons are in. The government needs to set out an ambitious plan to provide consistent access to high-quality education and training. The first step should be reversing cuts to budgets that will only make a bad situation worse.

Great to see the #JusticeSelectCommittee highlighting some of the wider benefits of prison education. Here’s how Emma described her experiences... "It was like as education grew in importance, drugs became less important... gradually I was using [course] work as a distraction from the drugs."

Very handy little Chrome extension matches Twitter accounts to Bluesky so you can re-follow. www.mentalfloss.com/find-x-twitt...