Support

Novus provides a range of specialist support services designed to ensure that everyone enjoys an equal opportunity to benefit from education, training and employment.

There are more than 1.5million people in the UK with a learning disability. In prisons the percentage of the population with learning difficulties and disabilities is proportionally far higher than the general population. A review by Dame Sally Coates, Unlocking Potential: A Review of Prison Education, in May 2016, reported that 32% of new prisoners were recorded or self-reported as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Our aim is to empower learners with learning difficulties and disabilities to engage, enjoy and make progress in learning in custody, and prepare them to continue to make progress in the community upon release.

Our services include support and guidance, supportive learning programmes, accessible learning environments and adapted curriculum materials.

We actively train and support our colleagues to improve the experience for all who are neurodiverse in our establishments. Through our partnership with the British Dyslexia Association (BDA), we have co-developed a specific training programme that has given a core team of Novus colleagues the skills and knowledge to deliver training to tutors across the organisation.

Our skilled and experienced SENCo's, teachers, tutors, trainers and support colleagues work with learners to identify support strategies, aids and adaptations to enable their progression in learning. We want everyone to grow with Novus and have the opportunity to build positive futures.

Once we've ensured that prison leavers are ready for the next step, we connect employers with skilled candidates that are ready to start work and are motivated to build a career.

We support many employers to recruit the right people with the right skills through our flexible recruitment service. And at no cost to the employer.

Business paperwork is no longer a challenge for Adrian

For the first 60 years of his life, ‘Adrian’ did not realise he was dyslexic. It wasn’t until his assessment with the Novus team in the Education department at HMP Doncaster that he came to understand why reading and writing had proved so problematic throughout his life.

After leaving school without any qualifications at the age of 15, Adrian went on to become a self-employed carpet fitter. He was never out of work before going into custody, but had to employ staff to do his paperwork.