HMP Dovegate is a Category B adult male facility near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. Serco cares for up to 1060  adult men over the age of 21 who are awaiting trial, have been recalled, or are sentenced both to long or short-term sentences. Serco deliver the Education and Learning services at HMP Dovegate with a special focus on art classes.

As with all Serco’s prisons, the goal is to rehabilitate the men in its care and prepare them for return to society while at the same time ensuring their offending behaviour is addressed. Serco’s values underpin how HMP Dovegate works - all the way from how the prison is managed to the way in which offenders are interacted with. HMP Dovegate encourages an atmosphere of mutual respect, ensuring that offenders are treated with dignity while at the same time held safely and securely.

Prisoners have access to work and education at HMP Dovegate. This gives them meaningful activity while developing skills that will help them find a job on release. The educational programme includes maths, English, essential skills and information technology. Serco employees at HMP Dovegate understand the importance of individual learning needs and therefore offer a suite of varying learning environments. From induction learners are communicated with to understand what may have inhibited their previous education and how best to develop their learner journey; this may include regular 1-2-1 sessions or specialist lessons for those with English as a second language.

Learners are encouraged to think about their desired industry on release and then are signposted to various courses that will help them achieve that. For example, should a learner wish to become a carpenter on release they would be signposted towards carpentry courses but also business studies and IT. Most of the prisoners attending the art classes have never attempted any art at all, but would like to try something new. They are frequently surprised as to what they can achieve with the help of the education staff.