Market Engagement for the provision of educational Screening and Assessment Tools to use within the future Prison Education Service.

As part of the roll-out of Prison Education Service (PES), we are exploring capabilities within the market to better understanding the availability and suitability of Screening and Assessment (S&A) tools.

The tools must cover ‘Functional Skills’ assessments, including English, Mathematics and Digital Skills educational levels. There is also a requirement for an ‘Additional Learning Needs Indication Tool’ (ALNIT), and assessments for reading, for ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ (ESOL) where identified.

The desired package will consist of tools which are validated and designed to create high quality, accessible, and accurate information on additional learning needs and functional skills levels across the prison estate. Information generated by the tools will be used to inform a prisoner’s starting point and the support required to successfully engage with rehabilitative activities within prison, across education, skills and work.

The intention is that the implementation of the new PES Initial S&A process will be ready for deployment, with tools in place and staff trained for delivery, for 1 April 2025.

The tools procured must as minimum meet the following requirements:

Provision of a digital Functional Skills tool, to assess the prisoner’s skills and ability in Mathematics, English, ICT, Reading and ESOL literacy. Provide accurate results which define the prisoner’s ability.

Provision of an effective, high quality and evidenced based additional learning needs indicator tool which can produce accurate results, which inform education and prison-wide additional needs support planning processes. The additional learning needs indicator tool should:

Clarify what the indicators of neurodivergent needs are for the individual, including any areas of strength as well as areas of need

Suggest where further specialist assessment may be needed, and indicate where further diagnostic assessment may be needed, by suitably qualified psychology, learning disability, nursing or specialist education staff.

Clearly identify practical strategies and reasonable adjustments to be put in place to support individuals both within education and more widely within the prison regime and in community healthcare.

Tools must generate results which are recorded by the Contractor and made available digitally live to the delivery Contractors, the Learner and the Authority after completion and in line with any pre-agreed regular data submissions. The results must be able to be used to inform the learning pathway of individual Learners.

The Contractor shall ensure that:

Tools are of a consistent quality for completion data, outcomes and progress to be efficiently recorded and analysed to identify trends and patterns.

Tools provided meet the standards required to deliver outcomes as outlined in the PES Quality Framework, make sure that it has a system in place for monitoring quality and effectiveness of its provision of the Services.

Work with key stakeholders to ensure that information from S&A is relevant on release can be shared in line with information sharing guidance.

Tools are compatible with MoJ/HMPPS Digital strategy and delivery teams to ensure continual compatibility with online systems, hardware and software.

Tools are reviewed and updated at a frequency agreed with the Authority to ensure that the quality and content of the tools is up-to-date and reflects leading industry standards.

Engage with the governance process and provide timely and accurate MI and data reporting

Tools are capable of being administered during the initial 30 day prisoner settlement period so results are available within agreed timescales following reception of individuals into the Establishment. Data should be available in real-time once completed.

Tools must be accessed, completed, and capture output in a digital format on a web-based platform. Contingency arrangements should also be considered in the event that primary access is unavailable Additional information: Tools must age appropriate

Accessibility requirements will be essential

HMPPS reserve the right to conduct an additional stage of performing a demonstration of proposed tools. Organisations are required to hold 27/09/2023 for this optional stage. Should further engagement proceed on this date, a small selection of participants will be invited at the earliest possible time