The Prisoner Learning Alliance (PLA) has closed, after 11 years of working to improve prison education.
Founded by PET in 2012, over the last decade the PLA has hosted nine conferences with over 1,400 attendees; given out 80 awards to teachers, education staff, prison officers and peer mentors; and hosted countless roundtables, focus groups and webinars.
All resources produced by the PLA will remain available online on the PLA website. You can find a summary of some of the network’s key resources and reports here. In December we hosted an event to mark the PLA’s closure and celebrate its work – you can read the round-up here.
Prison education networks
If you want to connect with other prison educators, these networks may be of interest:
UCL’s Centre for Education and Criminal Justice (ECJ)
University College London (UCL) hosts a network of prison educators through the Centre for Education and the Criminal Justice (ECJ). The ECJ was set up to provide support for people working in prison education, and to conduct research on education in prisons.
There is no charge for joining the network, and you can join as an individual or organisation. ECJ activities include regular online seminars, a national conference in the summer, and other activities designed to give you opportunities to meet, share good practice and learn about the latest research on prison education.
To register your interest, email John Vorhaus.
ETF’s Society for Education and Training (SET)
Education and Training Foundation (ETF) hosts the Society for Education and Training (SET). This is the only professional body for educators in the Further Education and Skills sector. It has a membership of 23,000, and over 1,000 members who work or have an interest in prison education.
SET offers a range of benefits for members including CPD webinars, on-demand resources, and peer-to-peer mentoring. Find out more here.
Thank you for your support
We are proud of the work of the PLA and the difference it has made to prison education. Thank you to everyone who supported the network.
If you have any questions about the PLA, please email PET’s Head of Fundraising and External Affairs Cassie Edmiston.