Skip to main content

Young Offenders: Education

Volume 476: debated on Wednesday 21 May 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) male and (b) female offenders aged 10 to 17-years-old gained one or more (i) GCSE, (ii) AS Level, (iii) NVQ, (iv) BTEC and (v) other qualifications while in custody in each of the last five years. (206890)

[holding answer 20 May 2008]: I have been asked to reply.

The Department does not hold central records on the achievements of all young people in custody. However, the development of the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) from 31 July 2006, means that data on young offender achievement within Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) are now collected. The first full year of data are in the following tables:

All OLASS provisions

GCSE

GCSE

GCE, A/AS/AS level

GCE A/AS/AS level

GNVQ precursor (BTEC)

GNVQ precursor (BTEC)

NVQ

NVQ

Gender

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Learners achieving one or more specific aim type

38

1

3

5

All OLASS provisions

OCN

OCN

Other

Other

Totals

Total

Gender

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Learners achieving one or more specific aim type

582

40

3,161

184

3,785

229

For many young people in custody, who are registered at learning providers in the community, their achievements will be attributed to the learning provider with which they are registered, rather than the custodial establishment's LSC provider. Therefore the LSC figures do not provide records of all of the academic achievements of all young people in YOIs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) male and (b) female offenders aged 10 to 17 years began (i) GCSE, (ii) AS Level, (iii) A Level, (iv) NVQ, (v) BTEC and (vi) apprenticeship qualifications while in custody in each of the last five years. (206891)

[holding answer 20 May 2008]: I have been asked to reply.

The Department does not hold central records on the enrolment of all young people in custody onto qualifications. However, the development of the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) from 31 July 2006, means that data on young offender enrolment and achievement within Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) are now collected. The first full year of data are as in the following tables:

Count of learners enrolled by specific aim type—all OLASS provision for young people aged 10 to 17

All OLASS Provision

GCSE

GCSE

GCE A/AS/AS level

GCE A/AS/A2 level

GNVQ precursor (BTEC)

GNVQ precursor (BTEC)

NVQ

NVQ

Gender

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Learners enrolled on specific aim type

94

1

12

1

12

15

All OLASS Provision

OCN

OCN

Other

Other

Totals

Total

Gender

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Learners enrolled on specific aim type

1,747

88

6,601

355

8,467

459

For many young people in custody, who are registered at learning providers in the Community, their enrolment will be attributed to the learning provider with which they are registered, rather than the custodial establishment’s LSC provider. Therefore the LSC figures do not provide records of all of the academic enrolments of all young people in YOIs.