Prisoner Education Services

Government Transformation and Service Delivery

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: £1.8bn
Published schedule: 01/04/2021 – 31/01/2027
NISTA delivery confidence: Not disclosed
Senior responsible owner: Sarah McKnight

What the project is for

The programme has three main objectives: 1. Improve the numeracy and literacy of all prisoners who need it 2. Incentivise prisoners to improve their qualifications and skills to increase prospects of finding work/integrating back into society 3. Ensure Governors and their teams have the knowledge, tools and support they need to lead this work.

Departmental delivery commentary

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the Delivery Confidence Assessment has remained Amber. This is primarily due to uncertainty regarding limited contingency for the project’s final procurement activity.

Schedule

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project’s end date at 25/26-Q4 has changed from 31/12/25 to 31/01/27. This is primarily due to delays in the procurement of one element of the core education contract.

Cost

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the Whole Life Costs at 25/26-Q4 have decreased from £1,870.80m to £1755.13m. The budget remains aligned to the current baseline business case. All costs have been reported in 2024/25 base prices in line with NISTA requirements. This is a change from previous years where costs were reported in nominal prices. All costs reflect this accounting reduction regardless of any actual changes.

Benefits

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Benefits at 25/26-Q4 remained at 0. This programme currently reports no monetised benefits. The programme's benefits are related to the successful onward operation of the Prisoner Education Service.