New figures from the Ministry of Justice show that the number of planned education hours in prisons in England has been cut by 25% – representing a loss of 317,886 hours of education compared to delivery volumes before October 2025.

Jon Collins, chief executive of Prisoners’ Education Trust, told The Mace: “It is madness to cut prison education just as signs of improvement were beginning to emerge.  

“At a time when the government should be investing in education to reduce reoffending, this 25% cut to planned education hours is a massive blow. 

“Evidence of the grim impact is starting to emerge from the 94 prisons included in the data – over three-quarters of the prison estate in England – with teachers made redundant, vocational courses cut, and people with additional needs disproportionately affected. 

“Education should be the cornerstone of a safer, more hopeful prison system. We cannot tackle the crisis in our justice system by dismantling the opportunities that people need to start afresh and contribute to their communities. The government must rethink these plans.” 

These cuts have put strain on the Open University (OU), who have been running education programmes in secure environments since the 1970s.

The OU takes students from all backgrounds, many of whom have previously had negative experiences of education, with the aim of giving prisoners a chance to do something …