Let’s build on peer-led learning

Shannon Trust’s peer-led learning transforms lives.

When Christopher Morgan set up Shannon Trust over 20 years ago, he had a simple idea, to support people in prison who could read to teach those who could not.

Christopher had learned from his pen-friend Tom Shannon, a lifer, how many people in prison could not read. And he wanted to improve their lives. Christopher knew that books and magazines open doors, while letters and cards help stay connected to family and friends that matter so much after release.

I believe this is still the ideal model for entry level learning in our prisons, especially when there is growing demand and pressure on resources. I heard recently that the Ministry of Justice is considering if former teachers might be willing to volunteer to support prison education. I am sure some would, and would bring valuable skills and experience. This will not be enough though. We know it is not a scalable model, able to meet the needs of tens of thousands of people in prison.

Between April and June 2024, prison numbers increased by 6% more than the same period in 2023. Over the same months, there was a 44% increase in the number of people recalled to prison under their licence conditions.

Currently, over 70% of people in prison are functionally illiterate. A similar proportion struggle with maths. This means they are often excluded from prison education, training and rehabilitation programmes, which require basic literacy and numeracy skills. In addition, Shannon Trust’s experience is that many of these people did not engage with education in the past. There are multiple reasons for this, but what matters is that without support, they do not thrive naturally in a classroom.

However, they do respond positively to being mentored one to one by their peers, someone who does not talk down to them and who understands what it is like inside. With encouragement, growing confidence and new foundations in literacy and numeracy, horizons widen. People in prison will risk trying something new and engage differently. And feeling first hand what education can give, even at entry level, helps those who were previously wary of learning, or who wrote themselves off.

So, why am I so sure that investing in our peer-led programmes is a cost-effective way to address the entry level educational needs of thousands of people in prison? There are a number of reasons.

Our learners and mentors work one to one, in short sessions in a relaxed manner. They progress through our structured resources at the learner’s pace, with no expectations or deadlines.

Shannon Trust is not mandatory. Our learners want to learn, and often see a real difference in their skills quite quickly. This is a great motivator.

And perhaps most importantly, our learners and mentors form a bond. It is a partnership rather than the traditional teacher-pupil relationship. This helps learners think differently about themselves and their potential, and means mentors gain self-respect, gaining positive recognition for taking responsibility and helping others.

Marcus, for example, did not get chance to go to school, but he wanted to read to his son. After just a month he said: “I’ve learnt how to break down words into smaller parts and sound them out, and my mentor even said I was his favourite learner as he could see I really wanted to learn! He helped me get a pair of glasses so I could see the letters better too… I never believed in my heart or mind that I would ever be able to read a word, and now I’m reading sentences! I’m loving learning and finding it a big comfort while going through a difficult time inside.”

At Shannon Trust, we believe prison education and training can be transformative, so we want as many as possible to be able to access it. While inside, it gives a purpose and helps improve mental health and wellbeing. Once outside it increases opportunities, for work and for further education. This reduces reoffending and leads to a better society for all.

Our experience shows that recruiting and training people in prison to deliver our programmes makes good sense, and directly benefits both learners and mentors. This peer-led learning is something we are already doing with the large body of people assessed at entry level or below.

We are on track to engage 10,000 learners in our programmes in 2024. Learners will work with one of over 1,300 trained prison mentors. These arrangements are supported by our existing network of prison volunteers and employed programme facilitators.

It seems to me, therefore, that the real innovation the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS want is right there already, running in 100 prisons. What is needed is ongoing investment and working in partnership, to seriously address low literacy and numeracy among those in prison. The solution to this problem is clear.

Please get in touch if anything I have written resonates with you; whether you agree, disagree or you have a suggestion for how we can improve what we do.