Sign in

Mark O'Mahony

@themarkages.bsky.social
118 followers 265 following 7 posts

Youth club trustee. Children's social care policy. Drinks coffee, eats cake, sings in choirs, usually in that order.

PostsRepliesMedia
Mark O'Mahony @themarkages.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Really important stuff about the impact of education cuts on women in prison. Very glad to see @prisonersed.bsky.social and @workingchance.bsky.social putting this out there to highlight it.
021
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Women in prison are losing education when they need it most. Education hours in women's prisons have been cut by an average of 30%, compared with 25% across men’s prisons. Our CEO Jon Collins and Natasha Finlayson OBE, CEO at Working Chance, are calling on the government to reverse the cuts.
russellwebster.com
Women in prison are losing education when they need it most - Russell Webster
Jon Collins of PET and Natasha Finlayson of Working Chance raise concerns about cuts to education in women's prisons.
041
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Jon Collins @jonbcollins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
You just can't keep putting more and more people into already overstretched prisons and expect the regimes to cope. Any increase in capacity has to come with more staff, more education places, more jobs etc. Instead education has been cut, inexplicably. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Prisoners to ‘double up’ in one-person prefab cells, leaked documents show
Exclusive: Ten category C prisons in England and Wales asked to add second beds, in breach of safe occupancy limits
065
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Ant has lived experience of the justice system and has seen first-hand the benefits education can bring to people in prison. Here's why he's running the Royal Parks Half for PET this October - for a second time! Help him hit his £500 target here: www.justgiving.com/page/runningpeta…
Quote card that reads: "£500 will fund a distance learning course for a person in prison. Not just any course, but one that will contribute to turning their life around - and once released, not ending up back inside.

"My personal focus for this run is to think about the additional benefits of education, such as helping people improve mental and physical wellbeing."
032
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Russell Webster @russellwebster.com · 02/07/2026
Strengthening distance learning in prisons - @prisonersed.bsky.social blogs on the importance of distance learning in prisons www.russellwebster.com/strengthenin...
russellwebster.com
Strengthening distance learning in prisons
Prisoners Education Trust blogs on the importance of distance learning in prisons
063
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
In the face of increasing pressures, our new report – Beyond the classroom – sets out ten things prison leaders can do to protect and strengthen distance learning in their establishments, alongside five things the government must do to stabilise and support the wider system. Read it here 👇
prisonerseducation.org.uk
New report calls on government to protect and strengthen distance learning in prison - Prisoners' Education Trust
A new Prisoners' Education Trust report calls on the government to protect distance learning in prison amid budget cuts and system pressures.
041
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Jon Collins @jonbcollins.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Depressing but unsurprising to see this in today's @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social report on HMP Manchester. Prisons are having to adapt to big cuts in provision and it'd be impossible to absorb a 54% cut without it having a significant impact. hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...
Text from a report saying: "Drastic cuts of more than 50% to the education budget meant that the number of teachers had reduced dramatically and our colleagues at Ofsted rated the provision as ‘inadequate’."
1259
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
FE Week @feweek.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
✂️ Prison education cuts have fallen hardest on jails in Greater Manchester and Merseyside where planned teaching hours have been slashed by 40 per cent feweek.co.uk/revealed-prisons-with-…
feweek.co.uk
Revealed: Prisons with most severe cuts to education hours
Harsher sentence for education time in Greater Manchester and Merseyside jails
021
Mark O'Mahony @themarkages.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Prison education is proven to reduce reoffending and promote employment on release. We cannot tackle the crisis in our prison system by making it harder for people to access the opportunities they need to build a positive future on release. The Government must rethink these cuts.
020
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
New figures show that children in prison are still being failed - locked in their cells for most of the day, their legal right to education breached routinely. Later this year the government will set out its plans for improving standards. It's a chance for a total reset that puts education first.
ow.ly
The Howard League | New figures reveal continued failure of prisons holding children
The continued failure of prisons holding children is laid bare today (Monday 2 March) as figures reveal that boys are typically being kept in their cells for about 20 hours a day and getting much less than 15 hours of education per week.
021
Mark O'Mahony @themarkages.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
If you have lived experience of prison education, why not join our drop in on 17th March to find out more about this opportunity? More info on the link below. Hopefully see you there!
021
Mark O'Mahony @themarkages.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
#CareDay
020
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
We always love getting postcards from learners letting us know how they're getting on with their course. Barry is taking his Bookkeeping Certificate with PET - the start of his journey to becoming a freelance accountant.
Handwritten postcard that reads: "This course has helped me a lot in prison, it has helped with my purpose, focus, and helped me develop my confidence in my own ability. I now have the confidence I can move to my next goal of completing AAT Accounting and know I will succeed."
042
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Jon Collins @jonbcollins.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
"We must properly fund prison education. Some institutions face cuts of up to 60% in their education provision. That’s not just short-sighted, it’s self-defeating." Very good article on the importance of literacy and prison education by @pauldaviesmp.bsky.social. politicsuk.com/literacy-beh...
politicsuk.com
Literacy Behind Bars: a Silent Crisis We Can’t Ignore - P...
More than half of people in UK prisons cannot read beyond primary-school level. Writing exclusively for Chamber UK, Paul Davies says that until we treat literacy as central to sentencing reform, rehab...
042
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
The London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has published a report highlighting the challenges people face finding work after prison, and the impact this has on London’s economy. Read our evidence which features in the report here: ow.ly/OmvW50XVYcY ow.ly/qmOH50XVYe0
ow.ly
Employment in London after prison
The London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has published its report highlighting the challenges prison leavers face in accessing employment, and the impact this has on London’s economy.
021
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Russell Webster @russellwebster.com · 11/12/2025
Prison education: it’s time to bridge the digital divide Cassie Edmiston, Head of Fundraising and External Affairs at @prisonersed.bsky.social , sets out how the government can boost digital learning in prisons. www.russellwebster.com/prison-educa...
russellwebster.com
Prison education: it’s time to bridge the digital divide
Cassie Edmiston, Head of Fundraising and External Affairs at Prisoners' Education Trust, sets out how the government can boost digital learning in prisons.
011
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Education can be the key to unlocking a brighter future for someone in prison. Your support means more learners like Robin can lay the foundations for a new career. Support our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge to have your donation doubled today: bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
Handwritten quote that reads: "I cannot thank PET enough for giving me a great opportunity. I’m super grateful and await to see what the future will present to me in the teaching field in prisons. You are changing lives and I am definitely one of them."
031
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge is now live! This Christmas, we hope to raise just over £45,000 to fund 66 distance learning courses for people in prison. From today, any donation made to PET via the Big Give website will be DOUBLED. bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
bit.ly
Laying foundations, building futures – Big Give
PET provides distance learning courses and advice and guidance to people in prison. These courses help learners lay the foundations …
022
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Introducing our 2026–2027 Course Prospectus – PET's most forward-looking and accessible edition yet! The prospectus includes cutting-edge courses on AI and environmental sustainability, as well as new digital learning opportunities. Read it here: prisonerseducation.org.uk/2025/12/new-...
Prospectus front cover and contents page
021
Mark O'Mahony @themarkages.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
It is outrageous that all YOIs in England are delivering less than children's legally mandated 15 hours education a week. When we hold young people in detention, we must give them the building blocks for a better future. The Government must put education first, for all young people in custody.
042
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
We are joining the Zahid Mubarek Trust’s Movement for Race Equality in Prisons. We support their call for renewed ambition, action and accountability on race equality across the prison system. Find out more about the movement and how to join here ⬇️
ow.ly
Join The Movement
Join The Movement “The way individuals are treated in prison affects their chances of rehabilitation in tangible and intangible ways. Tangibly, access to opportunities like training courses, prison jobs and behaviour management programmes affects offenders’ ability to cope without reoffending when they leave prison. Intangibly, the extent to which prisoners believe they are treated fairly…
031
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
The Justice Committee's new report highlights the dire state our prisons are in. The government needs to set out an ambitious plan to provide consistent access to high-quality education and training. The first step should be reversing cuts to budgets that will only make a bad situation worse.
committees.parliament.uk
‘Dire’ prison conditions putting rehabilitation and reoffending reduction ‘at risk’, Justice Committee warns - Committees - UK Parliament
Prison overcrowding, staffing shortages and deteriorating infrastructure is having a ‘profound impact on the ability of prisons to deliver rehabilitation’, a new report published today (No...
021
Mark O'Mahony @themarkages.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Great to see the #JusticeSelectCommittee highlighting some of the wider benefits of prison education. Here’s how Emma described her experiences... "It was like as education grew in importance, drugs became less important... gradually I was using [course] work as a distraction from the drugs."
prisonerseducation.org.uk
020
Mark O'Mahony @themarkages.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Very handy little Chrome extension matches Twitter accounts to Bluesky so you can re-follow. www.mentalfloss.com/find-x-twitt...
mentalfloss.com
Migrating to Bluesky? This Extension Finds Your X Followers on the App
If you’re having trouble finding all of your X followers on Bluesky, Sky Follower Bridge will save the day.
030