Inspections Clinic: School careers guidance

The quality and consistency of careers guidance in schools has long been a matter of concern and the government's new Careers Strategy, Making the most of everyone's skills, launched in December last year, put a new onus on schools to meet set standards.

Since September 2012, schools have had a legal duty to ensure pupils from years 8 to 13 get independent careers advice.

A new legal duty, which came into force in January this year, means schools must ensure pupils can access advice and information from a range of providers on new technical qualifications - known as T-levels and apprenticeships.

Statutory guidance, updated in January, also makes it clear schools will be expected to work towards - and achieve - the "Gatsby benchmarks", a series of eight core standards for careers guidance developed by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.

As of September this year, schools must also publish details of their careers programme and appoint a named "careers leader" to oversee it.

When it comes to what Ofsted is looking for when inspecting the quality of careers guidance, the government and regulator have made it clear this will be underpinned by the Careers Strategy and new statutory guidance now and into the future when a new education inspection regime is implemented in September 2019.

This will include taking account of where pupils go when they leave school. The statutory guidance states that a successful careers programme will be "reflected in higher numbers of pupils progressing to positive destinations such as apprenticeships, technical routes, sixth form colleges, further education colleges, universities or employment".

In a recent blog on inspecting careers guidance, Ofsted's national director for education Sean Hartford explained the regulator was not looking for a set approach.

"We don't have a preferred style of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) for schools, colleges and other education providers we inspect," he said.

"We do expect, as a standard, that young people will be offered CEIAG that includes guidance on their subject choices, discussion on their career aspirations and how they can achieve them, and how they're progressing towards this.

"Work experience and guidance on a vocational or academic path and routes post-16 - whether those be A-levels, training or vocational education - should all be available."

For young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) another very important element should be preparation for independence, or supported independence, to equip these young people for further study.

"For our inspections of special schools, this is an especially important feature," said Hartford.

A State of the Nation report on careers guidance in schools in England, published by The Careers & Enterprise Company in autumn 2017, found evidence of some improvement in school careers provision.

However, more than one-fifth of schools were not meeting any of the Gatsby benchmarks and, on average, schools were only meeting 1.87 out of the eight (see graphic).

The Careers & Enterprise Company has since been tasked with providing external support to schools to help ensure all are achieving all eight benchmarks by 2020.

Ofsted will be consulting on proposals for the new inspection regime, but Hartford has recommended schools and colleges use The Careers & Enterprise Company's Compass tool (see box) to assess their current careers offer.

How to ensure your school meets new careers requirements to help prepare young people for the world of work

By Lesley Thain, education engagement manager, The Careers & Enterprise Company

At the start of the new academic year, here are four key things that schools and colleges can do to meet the requirements of the government's new Careers Strategy - and accompanying statutory guidance - and help prepare students for the fast-changing world of work.

1. Get to grips with Gatsby

The statutory guidance says schools should use the eight Gatsby benchmarks in order to deliver the highest standards of careers provision. The benchmarks are based on international research into what works, and provide a clear set of standards for schools and colleges. The benchmarks cover everything - including making sure careers guidance is informed by labour market information, embedded through the curriculum, addresses the needs of each pupil, includes personal guidance, and provides pupils with interactions with employers and further and higher education.

The Careers & Enterprise Company has worked with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation to produce toolkits that provide detailed explanations of each benchmark, plus practical tips and examples. The toolkits are free to download from The Careers & Enterprise Company's website.

2. Use Compass

Schools can evaluate their careers programme and compare it to the requirements of each benchmark through our free-to-use online Compass tool. Compass, which was created in partnership with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, allows schools to evaluate their careers activity, identify areas for improvement, and includes resources to help schools meet each benchmark. Schools can use the results as a basis for their careers plan and to provide evidence on the strength of their provision.

3. Get networked

Providing a world-class careers education and preparing pupils for the world of work is no small task. Our Enterprise Adviser Network was designed to connect schools, colleges, employers and careers programme providers to ensure young people can make informed choices about their futures. The network is free to join, and schools and colleges will be partnered with a full-time enterprise co-ordinator and a dedicated enterprise adviser, a senior volunteer from the world of business. Together they will help schools and colleges move their careers plan forward. Schools and colleges can also access our resources through our online Schools Hub.

4. Access development opportunities

From this September, all schools in England will need to appoint a named "careers leader" to oversee their careers programme. Schools should publish information about their careers programme and the person leading it on their website. If you have been asked by your school to be a careers leader, then there are plenty of professional development opportunities available, and the government is offering a number of funded training places.

If you are interested in signing up, you can register your interest on The Careers & Enterprise Company website. For those who do not have time to attend a course in person, we will also be launching an online training module in the autumn term, and you can find our Guide for new Careers Leaders in Schools on our website.

• For more information, visit www.careersandenterprise.co.uk

INSPECTIONS SHORTS

YOUTH JUSTICE
Plans to strengthen the inspection of secure training centres have been unveiled amid concerns about levels of violence and the safety of children. Proposed changes to joint inspections of the three centres in England by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission and HMI Prisons include a more robust response to an "inadequate" rating with settings revisited within eight weeks. A consultation concluded last month, with the new regime due to be implemented from April 2019.

EDUCATION
Primary schools cannot be expected to solve the problem of childhood obesity, says a new Ofsted report, which suggests unreasonable expectations are putting a strain on over-stretched teachers. While the regulator agreed schools have a vital role in educating children about healthy lifestyles, inspectors found many were putting too much effort into activities designed to influence parents without any evidence these had an impact. "Education for health is essential and must be done well," said chief inspector Amanda Spielman. "But this will not happen if schools are devoting time to things in which they are neither expert nor likely to have an impact."

SOCIAL CARE
Joint Targeted Area Inspections (JTAIs) have proved to be a catalyst for improved multi-agency working, according to Ofsted's national director for social care. In her blog on sector developments, Yvette Stanley said feedback from councils and their partners on JTAIs has been positive. "Agencies tell us they have been the impetus for partners to work together more effectively and be more joined up in their response to children," she said. Ofsted wants feedback on what topics should be the focus of JTAI "deep dives" in 2019.

EARLY YEARS
Ofsted has denied claims that it stripped a nursery of its "outstanding" rating for failing to spot whether toddlers might become "jihadis". It was responding to media reports suggesting this was a reason Little Ducklings Pre-school in Hove, East Sussex, was downgraded to "requires improvement". The regulator said the report "makes no mention of radicalisation or jihadis", but confirmed one failing identified by inspectors included the fact "staff did not understand how to protect young children at risk of extreme behaviour or views".

SOCIAL CARE
The pace of change at Croydon Council's "inadequate"-rated children's services department is too slow, according to inspectors who carried out a monitoring visit. Problems include delays in progressing cases and lack of management oversight, with staffing shortages partly to blame. The council has launched a recruitment drive and said it was bringing in extra teams to help reduce caseloads.