About VSE

VSE (Volunteer Supported Education) is a group of volunteers dedicated to helping young offenders at HMYOI Feltham improve their literacy and numeracy skills, principally through one-to-one teaching sessions.

VSE was set up in 1992 by the volunteering charity SOVA at the request of the then Head of Education at the prison. In 2008 the group received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and, in 2014, the Mayor of London’s Team London award in the Mentoring and Coaching category for exemplary contribution to volunteering. In 2017 a report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons recognised the good work of VSE within Feltham.

VSE is managed entirely by volunteers. There are usually around 10 active tutors at any one time and new tutors are recruited regularly. Full training is given.

What we do

Volunteer tutors generally come in to the prison once a week for a morning or an afternoon. A tuition session usually lasts from one to two hours.

Young men in Feltham are aged between 15 and 21. Those aged between 15 and 17 years are on what is called the ‘A’ side and those between 18 and 21 are on ‘B’ side. They are educated separately. Over the years VSE has supported education on both sides but most of our work is with the young adults on B side.

Those who are referred to VSE generally have poor literacy and numeracy skills. They often find it hard to cope in a classroom situation but respond very well to one-to-one tuition.

A tutor makes an initial assessment in order to gain some idea of the areas in which the young man is most interested and where he needs most help. Students are encouraged to set some short-term objectives – for example, to write a letter or email, to remember to use capital letters and full stops, to use a dictionary, to conquer multiplication or to understand percentages – depending on which areas they most want to improve. Writing, reading, speaking and listening, and numeracy can all be covered, though not every tutor has to offer all of these.

Sometimes a young man may wish to take an exam and this is always encouraged – it may be the only exam he has ever taken. Passing an exam and being awarded a certificate, at whatever level, provides an enormous boost to confidence and self-esteem (and a great deal of satisfaction for the tutor as well!).

How do the young men sign up with VSE? They may talk to a VSE tutor on the wing, or they may be referred by the education provider, prison staff or other agencies, or even by their cell-mates! Tutors work hard to raise awareness within the prison and to gain the support of prison officers.

Tutors provide tuition in the VSE classroom at the prison. Alternatively, they can teach on the wing if a room is available. Tutors are also welcomed in the various workshops – Bricks, Paints, Multiskills for instance – where they support the young men in the vocational courses they are undertaking. Finally, tutors can provide classroom support in the Education Department.