Literacy Loans in Prisons

The aims of the sessions were to: 

• Engage students with historical artefacts through a different creative medium 

• Introduce students to a range of different writing forms 

• Encourage students to play with written words 

• Offer opportunities for students to encounter writing from, and about, different historical periods 

• Give students the opportunity to work with a writer 

Over 6 weeks, approximately 60 learners took part in 6 sessions of between 60 and 90 minutes each. The men had the opportunity for historical enquiry through handling artefacts and they engaged in a series of writing activities linked to the artefacts and themes. These activities included, group and individual story writing, creating different forms of poetry, writing kennings and riddles and writing for purpose. They created a final piece based on an object of their choosing, using their chosen creative writing technique.  

The sessions had a positive impact on the learning and mental wellbeing of the majority of the participants. The museum artefacts, specifically the Saxon Princess jewels and Spence paintings, served as engaging and immersive prompts for creative writing activities, contributing to skill development. Many men experienced emotional connections and empathy through interaction with the historical artefacts 

Creative expression through writing allowed prisoners to explore their emotions, thoughts, and experiences in a therapeutic manner. It boosted their confidence and provided a sense of accomplishment, positively impacting their mental health. It also offered a break from academic pressures, promoting stress reduction and mindfulness among participants. Some participants were really appreciative of the time we spent and even saw the project as a treat – a couple of participants were not part of the education programme but had asked if they could also take part.  

Example Poems from sessions (Word).

Holme House: Animating an Object group poem – The Ships Wheel

Holme House group Kennings Poem – Ship Model

Holme House group Kennings poem – Telescope

This was the first time that Tees Valley Museums Group had worked with the prison service, and we learned a lot from the process.  

• The continuous turnover of prisoners posed challenges in maintaining consistency in project participation and disrupted ongoing work. To address this issue, we created modules specifically for newcomers, which enhanced program effectiveness.  

• Some participants, particularly younger prisoners, struggled with concentration during sessions, affecting class dynamics. Activities were tailored to different age groups and learning styles, which improved engagement and focus. 

• We also discovered that spending more time in the sessions would have been beneficial to the learners. 

The overall partnership with Novus Education and the wider prison could be continued, but with a need to address a number of challenges. These include: 

• The need for funding to cover costs – this could be a partnership bid between Novus and TVMG 

• the continuous turnover of prisoners poses difficulties in maintaining consistency in project participation and disrupted ongoing work. This will be exacerbated by the fact that Holme House now houses prisoners who are on remand: they will not be there very long. This needs to be taken into consideration when developing new ideas 

• closer relationships with the Education department could be established to embed the resources and programmes with their staff. This is a new way of working for their staff so additional CPD could address any fears in this. 

This work with Novus Education led to further programmes such as CPD for the teachers within Novus across the North East. This was led by Elizabeth Baker, who gave the staff ideas to develop creative work and strategies to integrate museum artefacts into regular literacy lessons. This will empower them to sustain the program’s impact but around the curriculum. 

There was also a programme of engagement with TVMG staff and LGBTQIA+ prisoners exploring the hidden histories from their community as part of our Pioneers of Pride campaign.  This involved the careful selection of museum collection pieces to take into the prison, based on themes.
We explored LGBTQIA+ history, local history and also museums and contemporary collection.

This programme of engagement led to some contemporary collecting in the prison.

We’re keen to share more about this work, and recently got the opportunity to do so at a local GEM Heritage sharing event, where we received great feedback from delegates.