Prison Education

We have extensive experience offering a range of qualifications in the secure estate and have a wide range of regulated qualifications and units which are ideal for creating a curriculum to support independence, including personal and social skills, employability, digital, vocational, and professional development qualifications for staff.

Gateway Qualifications has been chosen by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) as the sole Awarding Organisation to provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to the secure estate. This means that all ESOL qualifications taken within MoJ prisons in England must be done with Gateway Qualifications.

HMPPS, MoJ and Gateway Qualifications win FAB Award

Our pioneering work alongside HM Prison and Probation Service and the MoJ was instrumental in making Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQ) available within the prison estate and was awarded Innovation of the Year at the prestigious Federation of Awarding Bodies awards in October 2022.

Case study: Transforming lives behind bars

Reshaping lives through collaborative efforts, recognising the distinct challenges of prison education.

Reasons to work with us for prison education

Ideal for the secure environment

Our flexibly designed qualifications are ideal for a secure environment as they have been developed with accessibility at the core. This ensures learners are able to fulfil their potential. Many of our qualifications can also be embedded within vocational content, enabling learners to demonstrate their skills whilst learning or participating in a practical skill.

Support for learners who move to another prison

Gateway Qualifications’ personalised service, excellent customer care and flexible approach ensures that learners are not disadvantaged if they move between prisons mid-way through the course, and makes the process as simple as possible for the learning providers too.

Inclusive approach to assessment

Nearly one-third of prisoners self-identify as having a learning difficulty and/or disability. Our qualifications minimise the need for reasonable adjustments and special considerations through an inclusive approach to assessment for all learners.

Our prison education offer includes qualifications in:

ESOL

Employability

Digital

Personal & Social Development