The Reading Agency

Creative writing workshops (prison provision)

2017-19

During 2017 NATECLA worked with the Reading Agency to produce a booklist for ESOL learners in prison. One of the project’s aims was to include more ESOL learners in the Reading Agency’s Reading Ahead programme, which has a high take up in prisons, but not among those with limited English proficiency. The booklist, graded from Entry 1- Level 1 includes details of support attached to the book such as audio, vocabulary or language development activities, as well other comments such as about difficulties that might arise for certain readers.

As you might expect, we found very few appropriate English language texts that would be relevant to our target group, who are mostly male from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and educational experience, particularly those with limited English language proficiency (E2 and below). The following year we were fortunate to secure funding from The Bell Foundation to create a model for producing short texts together with ESOL learners in prison that they and their fellow learners would enjoy reading.

We did this through a series of creative writing workshops at three prisons, two female and one male: HMP Downview, HMP Highdown and HMP Thameside. Our writing activities drew on participants’ own experience and imagination, as well as being designed to be fun and stimulating, as well as being an effective way to practise and consolidate their learning. Our groups included participants with very little English as well as people at Level 1. One of the workshops included support from Reading Mentors from the Shannon Trust programme which operates in Prisons.