The annual celebration of Weston College’s Offender Learning teams took place this September- culminating in the celebratory award ceremony for outstanding contributions by staff in their field.

“Inclusivity: A Whole Prison Approach” was opened by Dr Paul Phillips, College Principal and Chief Executive, before handing over to the keynote speaker – Catina Barrett – who posed the question “What is Wellbeing, Mental Health and Inclusivity in Adult Learning?” Drawing on her research for the DfE, Catina opened debate around the room before attendees went straight into their first workshop, looking at strategies to overcome barriers prisoners might find in their learning journey.

Following a welcome lunch, staff were grouped by subjects for the afternoon session as they moved on to look at regional and local strategies to continue to develop the outstanding practice in each area. Having an opportunity to share their experiences within similar subject areas proved popular and everyone remained well engaged as imaginative proposals were put forward for key strategic initiatives.

Finally it was time for the awards and a celebration of the fantastic work done by all our staff in the South West prisons. Vice- Principal Andrea Greer led the celebrations, highlighting important landmarks and events through the previous academic year before giving out the awards.

You can see the list of full award winners below:

Outstanding Practice in English: Judith Hawkins – Eastwood Park

Outstanding Practice in Maths: Jade Boiling – Exeter

Outstanding Practice in Personal & Social Development: Amanda Barker – Dartmoor

Outstanding Practice in Creative Arts: Sylvia Bell – Erlestoke

Outstanding MISCo: Jacqui Burton – Dartmoor

Outstanding Vocational Practice: Luke Trott – Guys Marsh

Outstanding Practice in ICT & VC: Theresa Luther – Portland

Outstanding Practice in Construction: Angela Woolford – Leyhill

Outstanding New Talent: Amy Trayler – Portland

Outstanding Manager: Daniel Hobbs – Erlestoke

Outstanding Practice: Wendy Grayston – Portland

Outstanding Team of the Year: HMP Eastwood Park