Children in West Yorkshire prison 'typically' staying in cells for more than 20 hours a day
Children in a West Yorkshire prison sometimes end up staying in cells for more than 20 hours a day, according to new figures
Last updated 9th Apr 2025
Children a West Yorkshire prison are typically being kept in their cells for about 20 hours a day and receiving less than 15 hours of education per week, figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform have revealed.
The charity claimed the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics show that the three prisons in England that hold children – Wetherby, Werrington and Feltham – have 'failed routinely to deliver enough purposeful activity during the week, with children spending even longer in their cells at weekends.'
The figures, which show monthly averages for time out of cell and education provision in each prison between January 2024 and February 2025, were given in response to parliamentary questions and Freedom of Information Act requests from the Howard League.
It is a legal requirement that prisons must deliver at least 15 hours of education per week to children of statutory school age – but this is the bare minimum and the government expects prisons to provide more.
Information on the government’s website says that children at Werrington are offered 30 hours of education a week, children at Wetherby are offered 15 hours of ‘core education’ and six hours of vocational courses, and Feltham’s education service is open ‘five days a week’.
But, according to the Howard League, the monthly averages recorded in each prison indicate that the hours of education actually delivered fail to meet the standards expected.
The Howard League’s analysis comes six weeks after the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza called for urgent reforms to the youth justice system to ensure that education plays a central role.
Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Children need fresh air, exercise, education and contact with others if they are to grow up to lead healthy lives. But this isn't happening in the three prisons holding children in England, and the figures we have collected underline the need for the government to act.
"Unlike adult prisons, prisons that hold children are not overcrowded and are relatively well resourced. Regimes ought to be much better, but time and again we find that they are not, with children locked up for hours on end in their cells and routinely without even the minimum amount of education that they are entitled to receive.
"Many of the children trapped in this failing system should not be in custody at all, and certainly not in prisons like these.”
Time out of cell on weekdays for children in Wetherby prison was at its highest in February 2024 (six hours and 25 minutes per day on average) and lowest in December 2024 (three hours and 56 minutes). At weekends, monthly averages ranged from four hours and 46 minutes in July 2024 to two hours and 19 minutes in January 2025.
During the 14-month period from January 2024 to February 2025, Wetherby prison rarely delivered more than 10 hours of education per week on average, let alone the mandated 15 hours.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis and these figures reflect the strain that has been on the youth estate for too many years.
“Custody is only ever used as a last resort for children. Education continues to be a priority for the Youth Custody Service and we are developing tailored learning plans to better support children to turn their lives around.”
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