Reading Success at HMP Liverpool

Recently, a learner at HMP Liverpool who initially had low literacy levels has made excellent progress in reading thanks to the support from colleagues and reading initiatives at the prison.

Identifying learners with literacy problems

The learner was identified during induction as having low literacy skills and was referred to Shannon Trust on his wing. The Novus reading tutor, Nicky Bates liaised with the Shannon Trust Mentor and was given his name.

Nicky then screened the learner who scored 4 for reading and 48 for spelling, indicating that he needed level 3 support. This means that the learner had significant difficulties in reading, requiring one-to-one teaching to acquire basic skills in the area. 

However, the learner would become quickly frustrated and be very negative towards himself due to his struggles with reading. So much so, that the reading tutor decided to offer her own support as well as the mentor from Shannon Trust, due to the extent of his reading difficulties and complex needs. The learner also agreed to attend the Reading the Way group, which is a reading group aimed at emergent readers. 

During the 'about you' process the learner was open about his complex combination of needs of dyslexia, autism, ADHD, BPD and mental health problems. He also shared that he had had negative experiences at school, which resulted in him having low self-esteem and didn't see himself as someone who would be able to learn to read or write, and that trying made him frustrated and angry at himself. 

Following the discussion, an LDD screener was completed to help identify the areas that caused him the most difficulty so that the reading tutor could provide strategies to help him. The learner was provided fidget toys, a coloured overlay and his mentor was also given a white board and dry wipe pens similar to those used in his TRT sessions. Having the whiteboard and being able to wipe away his 'mistakes' boosted the learner's confidence and encouraged him to be more willing to 'have a go'. 

The reading tutor communicated regularly with the Shannon Trust mentor to develop continuity of the approach and support progress. This allowed the mentor to use the materials more selectively to address the learner's skills gaps. 

The reading tutor worked with the learner weekly, on a one-to-one basis, mainly using the That Reading Thing programme, which is a phonics programme aimed at adults, until he was released from prison at the end of March 2024. It was also agreed that each session could finish if the learner was losing his concentration and/or he became too anxious. It was clear that the learner's programme would need to be delivered gradually due to his complex needs, to ensure success. 

For the tutor and mentor, a big part of the work was offering support in building up the learner's self-perception, self-image, and confidence to accept mistakes as part of the learning process and acknowledge his skills. 

Positive Outcomes 

A second reading screener was conducted, prior to the learner's release showing an increase in scores to 97 for reading and 60 for spelling. Due to his increase in scores, the learner moved to support level 1 for reading, which means he can now confidently decode and read words and sentences and level 2 for spelling, meaning he would have been suitable to join an entry English class had he not been released. 

As the learner's release date approached, he started to become anxious again. However, due to the skills he had gained and progress that he had made in his reading programme, the learner was able to use writing as a positive outlet to document his worries and all of the positives that were waiting for him on his return to the community. This has been a massive leap in his attitude to literacy from when he began; he now sees a purpose to writing and is motivated. He also has a willingness to try that hadn't initially been there. 

The relationship with the tutor was extremely important for the learner who had confided that he had never been willing to accept help from people before, but this time it had felt different. The learner appreciated the approach, commitment and persistence from the tutor and was very appreciative of the support he had received. He was amazed that he now had skills that he could apply independently to help him read. He would often comment that nobody had "explained it like that before" and his growing ability astounded him, improving his confidence along the way. He developed a positive mindset to learning and said he wanted to keep getting better and better once out of prison. He said that one of his targets was to eat healthier and he now felt he would be able to look at some recipes online. 

The tutor felt that he was unlikely to have made the progress he did without the work that had gone in to make his learning a safe, encouraging, non-judgemental space and time where he was relaxed, and his efforts were met with positivity and also that he no longer demonstrated the previous behaviours of frustration and self-recrimination. Due to the tailored approach of the reading programme and the support and communication from both the reading tutor and Shannon Trust mentor, meant that the learner not only improved his reading ability and literacy skills, but also obtained valuable life skills and confidence that he can now utilise in everyday life. 

To learn more about our reading provision, head over to the news section on our website.