Post by Sally Alexander MBE

This week saw my second visit to new Milton Keynes College Group Education Teams in Devon and Dorset. I started at Guys Marsh. A brilliant team led by Jenny Bendell and Luke - I even bumped into Debs, a previous Education Manager, teaching mentoring. I received a lovely painting from Ross (see pics below) and yes, they WEREN’T joking when they said I would be forklift driving!! And a little chinese duck hunt for which I won a fortune cookie!🥠 Then on to Channings Wood. Another great team led by Mark and Barrie - great relationships with HMPPS colleagues and the whole department was professional, respectful and clear about its purpose. Great mentors, lovely buffet and some interesting ‘fantasy fiction’ going on in the library!! My last stop was Exeter. Luke the Education Manager is relatively new (both to post and prisons) and really is making the best out of what is a challenging situation. Again, really positive staff and interesting to chat with a creative writing group about ‘ideal worlds’. As always, so pleased to do this work, and I take my hat off to you all #prisoneducation #partnerships #teamMKCG #loveFE #transforminglivesthroughlearning Jason Mansell Claire Atkins Robert Hawkins Phil Harris Nic Webster Alastair Phelpstead Mark Stoyle Dan Hughes Sharon Frost Cat Marin Anna Clarke Maria Bowness Amy Langford Laura Black Nathan Flynn Natalie Stephens Natalie Betts Susan Akhtar Kaye Dwight Katy Eyles Jules Quinn (Chartered FCIPD) Mariyam Azher, MCIPD Liana Sinclair MSc MRICS Arvind K. Ruby Parmar Ian Revell Richard Bartlett-Rawlings Dr Julie Mills OBE