Prisoners’ Education Trust – Course Prospectus 2024-2025
Download PET's Course Prospectus - our comprehensive guide to the distance learning courses we offer, with information on how to apply and how to prepare to study.
PET offers over 130 distance learning courses in every prison in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
We offer courses in a range of sectors – from health and social care to transport and logistics – as well as GCSEs, A-levels and Open University Access modules. Here you’ll find information about every course we offer.
PET Short Course – Mental Health and Counselling
If you are thinking about making a start with distance learning and looking for useful tips to help you on the way, PET's short courses are a great place to start. With our short courses, there’s no pressure: you won’t need to submit assignments or sit an exam. Instead it’s an opportunity for you get a taste of distance learning, working at your own pace. By giving you the chance to experience studying with PET, you can prepare to embark on a full distance learning course and be confident you’ll hit the ground running.
This course aims to give you a taste of what it is like to study courses related to counselling or mental health at Level 2 and above. Increased knowledge of these areas are useful for everyday life, and can open the door to further study, as well as potentially finding volunteering or employment in this sector.
This is a FREE course which is printable via the Prison Staff Log-in page of our website. There is no need to apply for funding to PET.
The course contains five units:
- Time Management
- Reading and Noting
- Academic Writing: Clear Communication
- Essays and Exams
- Making the Most of Distance Learning
Entry Requirements: Level 1 English
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based (available for download)
Assignments: None – instead, the course contains a series of self-assessed exercises. (Answer sheets are also included).
Exams: None
Prison Support Requirements: Print the course and distribute to learner.
Tutor Support: No
What’s Next? Once you have achieved Level 2 English, you can apply for any PET course related to health and social care, or counselling.
Find Out More: On the Prison Staff log-in page of our website.
PET Short Course – Sports and Nutrition
If you are thinking about making a start with distance learning and looking for useful tips to help you on the way, PET's short courses are a great place to start. With our short courses, there’s no pressure: you won’t need to submit assignments or sit an exam. Instead it’s an opportunity for you get a taste of distance learning, working at your own pace. By giving you the chance to experience studying with PET, you can prepare to embark on a full distance learning course and be confident you’ll hit the ground running.
This course aims to give you a taste of what it is like to study courses related to sport and nutrition at Level 2 or above. It will improve your knowledge of anatomy and health, and may help with obtaining work or volunteering opportunities as a fitness instructor.
This is a FREE course which is printable via the Prison Staff Log-in page of our website. There is no need to apply for funding to PET.
The course contains five units:
- Time Management
- Reading and Noting
- Academic Writing: Clear Communication
- Essays and Exams
- Making the Most of Distance Learning
Entry Requirements: Level 1 English
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based (available for download)
Assignments: None – instead, the course contains a series of self-assessed exercises. (Answer sheets are also included).
Exams: None
Prison Support Requirements: Print the course and distribute to learner.
Tutor Support: No
What’s Next? Once you have achieved Level 2 English, you can apply for any PET course related to fitness or nutrition
Find Out More: On the Prison Staff log-in page of our website.
Philosophy A-Level Part 1
This course delves into some of life’s fundamental questions – about existence, knowledge and ethics. You’ll deepen your understanding of human beings and free will, and consider questions about God’s existence and what knowledge is. This course also improves transferable skills, such as independent studies and the ability to explore and evaluate concepts.
You will not have the option to take the AS exam at the end of Part 1 of this course. After completing Part 1, you should apply for Part 2. Having completed both parts, you can then take the full A-Level exams which will cover everything learned in Part 1 and 2.
The course consists of five lessons:
- Introduction to Epistemology (Philosophical terminology, what is knowledge? Responses to Gettier)
- Perception as a Source of Knowledge (Direct realism, indirect realism, Berkeley’s idealism)
- Reason as a Source of Knowledge (rationalism empiricism, innatism, intuition and deduction, empiricist responses, scepticism)
- Normative Ethical Theories (utilitarianism, Kantian deontological ethics, Aristotelian virtue ethics)
- Meta-Ethics and Applied Ethics (moral realism, moral anti-realism, applied ethics)
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based
Assignments: Six written assignments. These do not count towards the final grade.
Exams: None – go straight to Part 2
Prison Support Requirements: Support completion and submission of assignments
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Philosophy A-Level Part 2
Find Out More: From NEC here
Philosophy A-Level Part 2
This course delves into some of life’s fundamental questions – about existence, knowledge and ethics. You’ll deepen your understanding of human beings and free will, and consider questions about God’s existence and what knowledge is. This course also improves transferable skills, such as independent studies and the ability to explore and evaluate concepts.
The course contains five lessons that follow on from Part 1:
- Metaphysics of God, 1: Arguments for the existence of God (the concept of God, the design argument, the cosmological argument)
- Metaphysics of God, 2 (the ontological argument, the problem of evil, religious language)
- Metaphysics of Mind 1 (substance dualism, philosophical behaviourism, mind-brain identity theory, eliminative materialism)
- Metaphysics of Mind 2 (functionality, property dualism)
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English, plus Philosophy A-Level Part 1
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based
Assignments: Five written assignments. These do not contribute towards the final grade.
Exams: Two exams – each are 3 hours long, and contribute 50% towards the final grade. (Funding not included – you will need to re-apply to PET for the exam fees).
Prison Support Requirements: Support completion and submission of assignments. Organize and invigilate exams.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Open University Access Module Y032 People, Work and Society
Find Out More: From NEC here
Politics A-Level Part 1
This course will expand your knowledge of elections, referendums and nationalism and help you develop an understanding of current political issues in the world. It will also improve your transferable skills, such as research, and build your analytical and critical thinking ability.
PET offers A-levels in two parts. Upon completing Part 1, you can choose either to take your AS exam (a qualification marking the first year of a full A-level) or continue on to Part 2 to build up to a full A-level.
The course consists of the following units:
1. Democracy and political parties
2. Elections and voting behaviour
3. The Constitution and Parliament
4. The Executive and relations between institutions
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based
Assignments: Five written assignments. These do not contribute toward the final grade.
Exams: Two, each are 1 hour 45 minutes, and contribute 50% of the overall grade.
Prison Support Requirements: Support completion and submission of assignments. Organize and facilitate exams.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Politics A-Level Part 2
Find Out More: From NEC here
Politics A-Level Part 2
This course will expand your knowledge of elections, referendums and nationalism and help you develop an understanding of current political issues in the world. It will also improve your transferable skills, such as research, and build your analytical and critical thinking ability.
The course contains six lessons that follow on from Part 1:
5. Conservatism and Liberalism
6. Socialism and Nationalism
7. U.S. Constitution and Congress
8. The U.S. President and the Supreme Court
9. Democracy and Participation in the U.S.
10. Comparative Approaches
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English, plus Politics A-Level Part 1
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based
Assignments: Six written assignments. These do not contribute towards the final grade.
Exams: Three – all are 2 hours long and count 33.3% towards the final grade. (Funding not included – you will need to re-apply to PET for the exam fees).
Prison Support Requirements: Support completion and submission of assignments. Organize and invigilate exams.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Open University Access Module Y032 People, Work and Society
Find Out More: From NEC here
Preparing to Set Up a Digital Business
Equipping you with the knowledge to succeed in the digital world, this course shows you how to take the first steps in digital business. You will cover various aspects of business, including challenges, business planning, relationship building, marketing, finance and negotiation. The course provider, Rocketeer, will also give you access to their resources after release, and offer bespoke support for your business through the gate.
The course contains seven units:
- The challenges and risks of starting a business
- Personal skills and abilities to start a business
- Understand how to plan for a new business
- Understand business relationships in new business
- Principles of marketing and selling a new business
- Understanding finance in a business context
- Understanding negotiation of deals in business
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based
Assignments: 7 written assignments
Exams: None
Prison Support Requirements: Support completion and submission of assignments
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Creating and Starting a Digital Business, also from Rocketeer (Level 3)
Find Out More: You can read more about the course provider, Rocketeer, on their website here
Principles of British Wildlife Care and Rehabilitation
This course will introduce you to the basic principles and ethics of wildlife care including rehabilitation and release, and develop your knowledge in the care and management of birds, small mammals, larger mammals, and marine mammals.
1. Basic principles and ethics of wildlife care including rehabilitation and release
2. Care and management of birds
3. Care and management of small mammals
4. Care and management of larger mammals
5. Care and management of marine mammals
6. Rehabilitation considerations and release methods
PET entry requirements: Level 2 English
Format of course material: Paper-based
Assignments: Six assignments
Exam: No
Prison support requirements: Support assessment submission and contact supplier for tutor support
Tutor support: Tutors give support by providing feedback and answering queries.
Proofreading and Copy Editing
Many organisations rely on the services of proofreaders and copy editors to ensure that their written material is professionally presented and error free. This course will help you master the techniques of proofreading and copy editing by providing a comprehensive introduction to the skills and knowledge required in these professions, including spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
The course covers the following subjects:
- Skills and abilities required by a professional proof-reader
- Ways to improve your spelling
- Consistent punctuation
- Proofreading on paper
- Grammar know-how
- Copy-editing
- Working electronically
- Setting up in business
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English
Format of Course Material: Paper
Assignments: 4 assignments
Exams: None
Prison Support Requirements: Facilitate tutor support
Tutor Support: Yes
Psychology A-Level Part 1
In this course, you’ll deepen your understanding of theories underpinning human behaviour – exploring memory, cognition and mental health. You’ll also develop your analytical and organisational skills, discovering which scientific research methods can be used to collect, process and analyse data.
PET offers A-levels in two parts. Upon completing Part 1, you can choose either to take your AS exam (a qualification marking the first year of a full A-level) or continue on to Part 2 to build up to a full A-level.
The course consists of the following units:
- Approaching Psychology (introduction and origins, learning cognitive approaches, the biological approach and biopsychology)
- Memory (multi-store model, working memory model, explanations for forgetting, eyewitness testimony)
- Social Influence: Conformity and Obedience (resistance to social influence, minority influence and social change)
- Developmental Psychology: Attachment (developments, explanations, types, maternal deprivation)
- Psychopathology (definitions of abnormality, phobias, depression and OCD, approaches to phobias, depression and OCD)
Research Methods (scientific processes, data analysis and presentation, maths resources)
Entry Requirements: Level 2 English and Maths
Format of Course Materials: Paper-based
Assignments: Seven written assignments. These do not contribute toward the final grade.
Exams: Two, each are 1 hour 30 minutes, and contribute 50% of the overall grade. (Funding not included – you will need to re-apply to PET for the exam fees)
Prison Support Requirements: Support completion and submission of assignments. Organize and facilitate exams.
Tutor Support: Yes
What’s Next? Psychology A-Level Part 2
Find Out More: From NEC here