Youth education services

Tender description

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is retendering education provision in the four Young Offenders Institutions (YOIs) in England which are operated by the Youth Custody Service (YCS) — HMYOI Cookham Wood, HMYOI Feltham, HMYOI Werrington and HMYOI Wetherby. These YOIs accommodate 15-18 year old boys and in some circumstances transgender young people in accordance with their needs. The MOJ wants to develop and deliver a new approach to education provision within the YOIs which would see services more closely aligned with the diverse needs and interests of young people enabling the positive outcomes associated with successful release, reintegration and desistence from offending. We are keen to explore the potential for different types of providers, including those not involved in this provision previously such as mainstream schools, alternative providers and special schools, to deliver some, or all of these services. The purpose of this engagement is to provide an update on the competition, including timescales and scope of services. A webinar will be held on 25 January 2021 from 10 a.m.-12.30. This will include site specific information for each of the 4 sites. Please be sure to book your place using the Eventbrite links provided by 18th January at the latest and please note that the event is limited to 3 attendees per organisation: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/yoi-education-services-retender-project-webinar-tickets-133359597145?keep_tld=1 For further information about the current youth custodial estate in advance please contact (email address) yes-retender@justice.gov.uk Current YOI capacity: Establishment-Location-Current Commissioned Capacity-Maximum Operational Capacity- Estimated Annual Cost (exc VAT) for Current commissioned capacity Cookham Wood-Kent-161-168 young people: GBP 2.4 million Feltham-London-145-152 young people: 2.7 million Werrington-Staffordshire-113-120 young people-GBP 2.0 million. Wetherby-West Yorkshire-249 (including separate provision for young people with acute mental health needs)-256 young people-GBP 4 million Establishments should be able to provide a flexible curriculum within the hours available for education provision. Learning should be flexible in its use of space, time and resources to provide the best possible opportunities for young people. There will be recognition of the value of a balance of classroom-based learning, learning activity in less formal routes, vocational pathways, enrichment activity, sport, and behaviour management interventions. *Note — average occupation on sites is between 70 %-80 % with occasional spikes. Wetherby generally tends to get lower figures, with higher levels at the other establishments. Currently education provision in YOIs includes three main elements: 27 hours per week classroom based education and vocational opportunities Up to 15 hours of Outreach provision is also provided separately for those young people who are hard to engage or need to be kept apart for their own or others’ safety. In HMYOI Wetherby and Feltham there are also separate Enhanced Support Units (ESUs) for young people with particularly complex needs, where 15 hours of provision is provided. This provision may extend in time to the other two YOIs. This provision is delivered for 52 weeks of the year, except for statutory bank holidays. 3 hours of Physical Education is also provided each week, but this is delivered directly by the Youth Custody Service. Education providers may also deliver some interventions, enrichment and resettlement activities and some of this provision may take place in the evenings and/or weekends. Education providers will also work alongside other service providers, including those delivering complementary services procured through our Prison Education Dynamic Purchasing System (PEDPS). We reserve the right to supplement and vary the conduct of the prior engagement process. Where we do this we will act transparently and treat all suppliers who have expressed an interest equally. We do not guarantee that any procurement will take place. We may use information gathered during the engagement process to inform any procurement that does take place. Please note that the MoJ and its advisors give no warranty in respect of the accuracy, permanence or completeness of any information provided. Reliance on, or use of, any such information is entirely at the risk of the person.