Prisoners at Scotland's 'learning' prison are choosing to sit around playing computer games rather than attending classes, according to an inspection report.

High staff turnover and staff shortages are also causing problems, leaving new prison officers supervised by workers who have little more experience than they do, an inspection of the privately-run HMP Addiewell has revealed. In some cases, inmates know more about the way the West Lothian jail is run than the staff, the inspectors said.

Scotland's new Chief Inspector of Prisons inspected Scotland's newest prison in August.

Wendy Sinclair-Gieben was appointed in July, and her first report on the prison, run by Sodexo under contract to the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), says it is safe and well run.

The report praises a computerised kiosk information system used by prisoners, backs a partnership with Police Scotland to tackle the dangers of 'legal highs', and says the prison is doing good work to reduce self-harm.

However it says Addiewell, which was set up to be a learning establishment, helping prisoners gain skills and reduce their offending, struggles to get prisoners engaged in education, paid jobs and work experience.

Some sessions are poorly run. The report says only 18 prisoners out of around 70 in one block were attending education when inspectors visited. But the activities were unstructured and not obviously educational: "Most of the prisoners attending mezzanine sessions engaged in computer games or activities to pass the time, rather than constructive educational work," the report says.

High quality facilities for sports, including an indoor games hall and a football pitch are not being regularly used because of "low levels of prisoner participation," it says, and because use of a fitness centre has dropped to around 25 per cent of capacity, many exercise classes do not take place.

The quality of learning and teaching within the classrooms was good, the report says. "However, the engagement by prisoners was constrained by the fact that typically, half the allocated places in any one session remained unfilled." Inspectors say it is unclear why so many prisoners were failing to attend their scheduled classes.

Ms Sinclair-Gieben expressed similar concerns about employment opportunities at the prison. Nearly two-thirds of the work offered to prisoners is in 'ambassadorial' roles or prison 'passman' duties, the report says, adding: "The remaining opportunities were in work parties that included industrial cleaning, painting and decorating, barbering, grounds work, maintenance, recycling, stores and the main kitchen.

"However, almost all work opportunities were limited to simple, repetitive tasks that did not engage prisoners well, and few of these led to useful vocational qualifications."

Some prisoners do emerge with qualifications, in areas such as cleaning, food hygiene, construction skills and roads and street works, the report says, and

The biggest concern raised by staff was in relation to staff shortages, and the prison was 36 short of its full staffing complement when inspectors visited. More than a third of prison officers at HMP Addiewell have less than two years experience and one in five has less than 12 months experience, the report says, adding: "New staff were being supported and coached on the job, often by individuals with little more service than them, and openly stated to inspectors that this was of concern to them."

Staff are regularly cross-deployed to cover shortages in other halls, according to the inspectorate, and it says this makes it difficult for individual members of staff to get to know prisoners or colleague. "Throughout the inspection, it was observed that hall staff were often at their desks and not engaging with prisoners in the halls. Staff were often found carrying out a number of different roles, in different locations, during their shift."

Nevertheless, the report says, "Whilst recognising the challenges that the inconsistency of staffing creates, it was clear that there was a working relationship within the halls... and that the interactions between the staff and prisoners were, in the main, professional."

Ms Sinclair-Gieben said: "Overall, the prison is on the cusp of a positive future if the momentum is maintained and the matters identified in this report are addressed."

Scottish Labour's Justice spokesperson Daniel Johnson MSP described the report as "deeply".

He added: “The problems at Addiewell Prison have been well known for some time – and it is essential action is now taken to resolve them.

“In particular, it is clear there are issues with accountability and responsibility with this private contractor. That is why it is essential that the SNP government now look at bringing this prison into public sector management once it expires.

“In the meantime, the Sodexo must urgently engage with the findings of this review.”

A spokesperson from HMP Addiewell said Sodexo welcomed the report and the verdict that the prison was safe and well run.

"The report recognised the good relationships between staff and prisoners, and both staff and prisoners reported they felt safe. Safety and security remain our top priority," he said. 

'The chief inspector recognised the very positive partnerships we have with Police Scotland and other agencies to tackle psychoactive substances, which are an issue across the whole prison estate in Scotland.

"'We accept that there have been challenges around the recruitment and retention of staff, however,  the chief inspector remarked since the inspection we have worked well to address this issue, including changes to pay for prison custody officers."