Communicating with prisoners who use English as an Additional Language

What is the Communicating with prisoners who use English as an Additional Language Course? 

The course aims to support prison staff working with prisoners using English as an Additional Language to be able to more confidently communicate instructions and basic information with prisoners who are new to English or early on in their English language learning. 

Who is it for? 

Prison staff and anyone working in the secure estate who wants to improve their communication with prisoners who are new to English or in the early stages of English language learning. 

How long is it?

1 hour. 

How is it organised? 

The course is made up of eight bitesize sections: 

• Sections 1 – 4: Explore what features of spoken English can create a barrier of understanding when communicating with someone who is new to English or in the early stages of English language learning. 

• Sections 5 – 6: Offers strategies to support communication, and provides opportunities for you to practice using these strategies. 

• Section 7: Examines different ways to check understanding of instructions when communicating with someone who is new to English or in the early stages of English language learning. 

• Section 8: Provides suggestions for how to embed learning in everyday interactions, and gives a list of further resources.  

How does the course work? 

• It is completely free, entirely online, and available 24/7.  

• There are no fixed enrolment dates or maximum number of attendees.  

• You can learn at your own pace: all participants have two years in which to complete the course.  

• There are no tutors on the course; instead, there are numerous feedback and commentary videos provided.  

• You can re-take the activities in the course as many times you’d like.  

How can you access the course?  

The courses is available via The Bell Foundation’s Moodle platform.