New UWE report confirms the impact of Way2Learn in prisons
June 10, 2025Posted by:
A major new report by the University of the West of England (UWE) has shown the impact of Way2Learn, the structured, accredited in-cell learning programme developed by PeoplePlus.
Commissioned to evaluate the impact of this unique model, the report draws on data from over 1,600 course evaluation sheets and more than 400 pieces of qualitative feedback from learners. The findings paint a compelling picture: Way2Learn is achieving high levels of engagement, building confidence, and opening up new futures for people in custody. Read the full UWE report here
What sets Way2Learn apart is its design: courses are completed independently in-cell, using printed workbooks supported by bespoke video content. Learners study at their own pace and on their own terms, many for the first time in their lives.
Rather than requiring attendance in a classroom, the model reaches people who would otherwise never engage.
“The addition of in-cell learning allows us to reach the hard to reach.” Head of Safety & Equalities, HMP Long Lartin
Over 1,000 learners were actively working through Way2Learn courses in January 2025 alone, with completed workbooks returned from across the estate. The report shows a 95% pass rate, with learners scoring 80% or higher to receive a digital certificate issued by the University of the West of England. These certificates are QR-enabled, allowing learners to share their achievement with employers or further education providers – something which has never been digitally available before.
Crucially, each completed course also carries Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points, giving prisoners formal recognition for their efforts and a meaningful stepping stone to further learning, employment or self-employment on release.
Feedback showed that learners who may have struggled in traditional settings were not only engaging, but actively requesting additional and higher-level courses. The effects go beyond education alone, staff reported calmer behaviour on wings and more positive attitudes among learners.
“Way2Learn benefits the prison regime. It has the tangible effect of reducing their frustration at being confined to their cells.” Distance Learning Coordinator, HMP Bullingdon
Ten Years of WayOut
2025 marks ten years since PeoplePlus first introduced WayoutTV our dedicated prison broadcast channel designed to support rehabilitation through education, information, and wellbeing content. From one pilot site in 2015, Wayout now reaches over 60,000 prisoners across 70 establishments, broadcasting 24/7 into cells across England and Wales.
Way2Learn, while separate from the broadcast service, builds on the same principle: meeting learners where they are, with content designed to be practical, accessible, and meaningful in the prison context. Both initiatives reflect a long-standing commitment to giving people in custody real tools to move forward, whether that means preparing for work, developing new skills, or simply regaining a sense of control over their time and choices.
The report from the University of the West of England affirms that this approach is working. Based on evaluation data and hundreds of learner comments, it found:
- A 95% pass rate among returned Way2Learn workbooks, with learners needing to score 80% or more
- High engagement from learners who had previously disengaged from formal education
- Clear links to improved mental health, self-belief and behaviour, with staff noting calmer wings and more purposeful use of lock-up time
- Growing demand for additional courses and higher levels, suggesting increased confidence and aspiration
In the words of one Prison Education Manager on the Isle of Man:
“By completing Way2Learn’s courses, prisoners have discovered the pleasure of learning and a renewed sense of purpose… This has transformed their time into a journey of hope and personal growth.”
Way2Learn is supporting not just skills and qualifications, but a stronger sense of personal achievement among learners who often start with very little confidence and few formal accreditations. That, in a custodial setting, is no small outcome.
Read the full UWE report here
June 10, 2025Posted by:
