Functional Skills English Tutor

Dovetail & Slate Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Dovetail & Slate Ltd in London is recruiting a Functional Skills English Tutor to work within a prison education setting, delivering engaging lessons from Entry Level to Level 2 and supporting learners on their rehabilitation journey.

You will conduct initial assessments, create learning plans, differentiate content for diverse learners, and prepare students for formal assessments while collaborating with prison staff and employability teams to maximise outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering Functional Skills English in a classroom setting.
• Strong lesson planning and assessment design abilities.
• Ability to work effectively within a secure, prison environment.

Responsibilities

• Delivering Functional Skills English qualifications to small groups.
• Conducting initial assessments and diagnostics to identify learners' starting points and needs.
• Constructing and maintaining Individual Learning Plans to track progression.
• Planning and adapting lessons to meet diverse abilities.
• Preparing learners for formal assessments and celebrating progress.
• Promoting literacy and reading for pleasure within the learning environment.
• Collaborating with prison staff and employability teams to support outcomes.

Skills

Functional Skills English

Lesson planning

Classroom management

Administration

Communication

Resilience

Secure environment

Education

A Level 5 teaching qualification (PGCE, Cert Ed, DTLLS or equivalent)

Tools

BKSB diagnostics

Ofsted framework knowledge

Job description

Recruitment for education and the public sector

Prison Education From £35,000 per annum Permanent mid Level 12 October 2026

Levels: Entry Level Level 1 Level 2 Functional Skills

Job Description

Functional Skills English Tutor- HMP

Permanent

Location: London

Salary: From £35,000 per annum

Are you a passionate English tutor looking for a role where your teaching genuinely makes a difference?

About the Role

We are seeking an inspiring Functional Skills English Tutor to join an education provider in the justice sector, delivering meaningful learning within a prison education setting. This is a unique opportunity to support learners on their rehabilitation journey, helping them build the literacy skills, confidence and qualifications needed to progress into employment, training or further education.

You’ll deliver engaging and inclusive Functional Skills English lessons, from Entry Level through to Level 2, to small groups of learners with a wide range of educational backgrounds, learning needs and abilities. Many of your learners will have had difficult experiences of education, so patience, empathy and a genuine belief in each individual's potential will matter as much as your subject knowledge.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Delivering Functional Skills English qualifications to small groups of learners.
• Conducting initial assessments and diagnostics to identify learners' starting points and needs.
• Constructing and maintaining Individual Learning Plans to track progression.
• Planning and adapting lessons to meet a diverse range of abilities.
• Preparing learners for formal assessments and celebrating their progress.
• Promoting literacy and reading for pleasure across the wider learning environment.
• Working alongside prison staff, learning support practitioners and employability teams to support positive outcomes for learners.

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience delivering Functional Skills English, with strong classroom management and lesson planning skills
• Excellent administrative and communication skills
• Resilience to work effectively within a secure environment

Desirable (but not essential):

• A Level 5 teaching qualification (PGCE, Cert Ed, DTLLS or equivalent) — candidates without this but willing to work towards it are fully encouraged to apply
• Experience within prison education, FE or adult learning settings
• Familiarity with BKSB diagnostics
• Knowledge of Ofsted's Education Inspection Framework

If you’re ready to use your teaching skills to help learners rebuild their futures, we’d love to hear from you.

A real person, not an automated email. If we are not the right fit for you we will say so quickly rather than leave you waiting.

• Excellent administrative and communication skills
• Resilience to work in secure environment
• Enhanced DBS check
• HMPPS security vetting

Skills & Qualifications

Functional Skills English teaching Initial assessments and diagnostics Individual Learning Plans Differentiation Literacy teaching Working with diverse learners BKSB diagnostics Ofsted framework knowledge

Not quite the right role? We'll email you when something closer comes in.