Reading Specialist - DPS

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Our Reading Support Specialist here at PeoplePlus work collaboratively Education, Industries and the wider prison to provide support to prisoners with reading needs. Their role is to promote an effective and inclusive learning environment, providing support to learners over the course of the working week and screening prisoners with low level reading ability.

As a successful Reading Support Specialist, you will be a passionate, creative, and empathetic towards our learners and prisoners and be able to offer knowledge and guidance and support to prisoners with reading needs including those with neurodiverse needs and disabilities.

Key Responsibilities include:

• To conduct reading screeners with prisoners.
• To develop and implement reading interventions for individuals or groups of prisoners using That Reading Thing or equivalent phonics intervention programs.
• Write and update reading profiles for all prisoners that complete a reading screener and share reading information through Virtual Campus (VC2).
• Track and report on reading progress of prisoners monthly following screening, intervention and re-screening.
• Develop resources to help support prisoners with low level reading ability.
• Collaborate with education and prison colleagues to ensure a holistic approach in supporting prisoners with emerging reading needs.
• Deliver creative support for emerging readers to enable prisoners to make progress and be inspired to read. This may include setting up an emergent reading group.
• Assist management in promoting a “reading for pleasure” culture within the prison community.
• Lead on reading initiatives within the wider prison.
• Deliver training and guidance to staff in relation to reading and phonics.
• Utilise technology to promote reading strategies via digital technology such as Way-Out TV which will support emergent readers.
• Further develop your knowledge with reading by engaging with CPD provided by PeoplePlus and other agencies.
• Work with a range of partnership with reading partners such as Shannon Trust.
• Work with onsite libraries and other relevant partners to develop a whole prison approach to promote reading using a range of strategies including, but not limited to, book clubs, writers in residence, storybook fathers etc.
• Liaising with Peer Support Workers including but not limited to Shannon Trust Mentors, Prisoner information Desk (PID) workers, CIAG orderlies and Library orderlies to further promote reading in prison.
• Creating a monthly newsletter to promote reading across the prison recognising good practice and positive outcomes. This should include involvement and contributions from the Governor and senior leadership team in each prison.
• Working in collaboration with the Education Department and Neurodiversity Leads to support learners who have specific learning needs, through a Trauma Informed approach.
• Developing projects in collaboration with wider departments including the Gym and Education departments to further promote reading through discrete embedded approaches such as sports or educational events.
• Deliver regular training for prison mentors and quality assure the delivery of the support mentors give to prisoners who need support. Meet with the group of prison mentors regularly to gain feedback on their support and ensure their training is maintained.
• Promote community values with learners which demonstrates tolerance, community, and respect.
• Collaboratively manage the behaviour of the learners, promoting and maintaining a safe and secure learning environment.
• To help support the writing of the whole establishment reading strategy and drive this across each establishment.
• Contractual KPIs for success and performance to be met.
• Prison based roles are % site based, with the expectation of prisoner face to face contact.

This is a fixed term position for 9 months.

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