Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
LEAF Project
Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education
Leeds Beckett University has been recognised with a Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education in honour of the Leeds Beckett Educational Alliance with HMP Full Sutton (LEAF). This national honour celebrates the university’s commitment to widening participation, supporting people who have been excluded from education and delivering research-led teaching that makes a real difference to society. The award acknowledges the work of Dr Bill Davies and Dr Alexandria Bradley, and the wider contribution of the university community and its partners at HMP Full Sutton.
About the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education
The Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Education form part of the UK Honours system and are presented by the Royal Anniversary Trust. They recognise exceptional work within universities and colleges that shows excellence, innovation and clear benefit to learners and to society.
Over the past 30 years, the Prizes have celebrated work across a wide range of fields including arts and humanities, social sciences, education, engineering and manufacturing, environment and conservation, pure and applied science and health and medicine. Winning institutions report stronger morale, increased confidence and lasting benefits for staff, students and communities.
Prize winners for 2025 were formally announced in November 2025. Recipients will be presented with their award by a senior member of the Royal Family at a ceremony held at St James’s Palace on 24 February 2026.
I am delighted that the remarkable work of our colleagues and partners at HMP Full Sutton has been recognised with the award of this national Honour. The LEAF partnership shows how high-quality and innovative teaching, and deep collaboration can change lives and strengthen communities. I want particularly to congratulate Dr Bill Davies, Dr Alexandria Bradley for their leadership of this transformational and sector-leading work.
This award honours not just the decade of collaborative work and the growth of prison-based learners, but also the idea that inclusive higher education plays a meaningful role in the restoration of hope and possibility.
About LEAF
The Leeds Beckett Educational Alliance with HMP Full Sutton (LEAF): A partnership shaped by trust, continuity and purpose
LEAF is based in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. It was created to offer high-quality and inclusive education to men in a long-term high secure Category A and B prison. The programme is led by Dr Bill Davies and Dr Alexandria Bradley, who bring trauma-informed practice, lived experience expertise and research-led teaching into an environment where opportunities for learning are extremely limited.
The partnership will reach its tenth anniversary in 2026. During this time, the team has built lasting relationships with prison leaders, education staff and learners. Their work focuses on dignity, reliability and the creation of a learning environment where men feel safe, supported and able to re-engage with education after past experiences of exclusion or trauma.
Why this work matters
Many men entering custody have faced serious educational disadvantage:
- More than 40 per cent have been permanently excluded from school
- Nearly 60 per cent have literacy levels below the age of 11
- More than half have undiagnosed or unsupported neurodiverse needs
- Cuts in recent years have removed up to 60 per cent of prison education funding
For long-term sentenced men without the means to self-fund, access to higher education is almost non-existent. LEAF is one of the few routes available for learners to rebuild confidence, develop academic skills and set long-term learning goals.
The partnership has already had a profound effect. Learners have progressed to distance learning, taken part in structured academic programmes and built new relationships with education that were not possible earlier in their lives. Evidence shows that engaging in purposeful study can reduce the likelihood of reoffending. LEAF contributes directly to this positive impact.
This recognition reflects the commitment of students from our University and HMP Full Sutton who embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. Their determination has driven this partnership from the start.
LEAF’s approach
The LEAF initiative brings together principles of trauma-informed education, social justice and higher education pedagogy. The team works to create a learning space built on compassion and stability. Many learners have experienced disrupted schooling, exclusion and a lack of consistent educational support. LEAF addresses these challenges through a model that prioritises relational teaching, consistent presence, student-led learning and inclusive approaches that encourage participation from individuals at all educational levels.
The partnership responds to the complexity of the prison environment by focusing on adaptability and long-term engagement. It supports men who wish to pursue future qualifications, including higher education, and helps them rebuild trust in learning while developing confidence and critical thinking. The model demonstrates how universities can meet learners where they are and provide educational opportunities that are meaningful and sustainable.
Dr Bill Davies
Bill's main areas of work are in 'Education within prisons' and 'The cultural, social and criminal aspects of tattooing'.
Dr Alexandria Bradley
Alexandria specialises in Trauma-Informed and Responsive approaches across the Criminal Justice System and within Educational settings.
Alongside Dr Bill Davies, Alexandria is a co-director of the Leeds Beckett Educational Alliance with HMP Full Sutton (LEAF)- providing Higher Education to men in prison.
Alexandria worked in partnership with One Small Thing to develop the first Working with Trauma Quality Mark to provide a national benchmark for practitioners, schools, third sectors services and criminal justice institutions.
