CEIAG & Careers Leaders
What every SLT and Careers Leader needs to know about new statutory guidance for careers January 2023 Part 2
Tuesday 17th January 2023
Well I do hope you've managed to digest part one of the blogs about this new guidance. There's a lot to take in and, I dare say, a fair bit to do! Here is my take on the latter part of the document
Provider Access Legislation and the Gatsby Benchmarks
Err weren't those covered in part 1? Well yes they were but the statutory guidance goes to great pains to point out that ALL pupils should have access to information about ALL routes, technical and vocational, and thus links this to Gatsby Benchmark 7 on page 49
by setting an expectation that all pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them, including both technical and academic routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace. This means that the school should also provide a range of opportunities for providers offering academic options, including sixth form and tertiary colleges and higher education institutions, to visit the school to talk to pupils.
Ensuring Encounters are Meaningful and High Quality
I'm sure you will know how time consuming building relationships with external stakeholderrs is however, the guidance underlines on page 50 just how important it is to the quality of the encounters. The guidance then goes on to prompt careers leads to access a checklist which is provided by the CEC with an explanatory slidedeck, however the link in the guidance leads to another, very useful but wordy document on GB7 called Making it meaningful.
Now, I dare say just glancing at the checklist may well have you sobbing into your cuppa, however, I* urge you to use the checklist as a CPD tool with your line manager to outline the complexity of the role of careers leader and use it to bargain for either admin support or more time to complete your duties.*
Considering the Needs of All Pupils
Schools must provide access to the same opportunities for ALL pupils including those pupils that are classified as SEND, LAC and those of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds and should do so by :-
- Talking to providers about the opportunities available for these groups
- Take advantage of the support available from the Careers Hub
- Involving the SENCO and other relevant staff to address any barriers to access and put support in place
- Involving parents and carers
- Preparing pupils appropriately for the encounter(s)
Pupils with a ECHP should have their education, training and career opportunities discussed as part of their annual review
The Role of Online Encounters
Page 51 is clear in the preference that encounters are face to face but accepts that when access is an issue that virtual encounters have a place. Such encounters should be held to the same standards as face to face encounters and pre recorded encounters will not count as pupils must have the opportunity to ask questions.
The caveat to the preference for face to face encounters is addressed by the single line : -
Some pupils may benefit from online encounters if they feel less comfortable with face-to-face encounters
Involving Parents and Carers
This is a short section which suggests the following : -
- Inform them in advance of encounters taking place
- Direct them to the providers website for further information
- Where possible support them with additional material for parents and carers provided by the provider
- Alert parents to the Talking Futures toolkit to support them having conversations with their child.
This, in my humble opinion, is the very minimum standard of involvement and I've seen some fantastic examples of careers newsletters, information sessions and involvement of parents and carers in delivering and supporting encounters.
Ladder of Support and Intervention
AKA the consequences of non compliance
In short, the carrot and the stick. This section outlines what will happen if schools are found not to be following the Provider Access Legislation
It starts out by outlining the support it provides via the CEC, that is the resource directory, Compas+ and the local careers hubs..
Step two is institutional support. There is a dedicated email address for providers to report schools for failure to allow reasonable access. This email address is administered by the CEC and receipt of a concern will trigger intensive support by the CEC for the school with the intention that the school will meet the required standards after receiving the support.
Stage Three, if the school is still non compliant the DFE will intervene with a written warning that the school must comply and may require the SLT to undertake Careers Leader Training and may have to pay to access the training.
Step Four, continued DFE monitoring of the situation.
The Role of Ofsted
A mercifully short section :-
Ofsted's school inspection handbook sets out strengthened expectations with respect to careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG), and specifically the provider access legislation. Ofsted's grade criteria set out the expectation that a school with good' personal development will meet the requirements of the provider access legislation. Where this is not the case, inspectors will state this in the published inspection report. They will consider what impact this has on the quality of CEIAG and the subsequent judgement for personal development.
Case Studies of Good Practice
Case Studies re available on the CEC resource directory
I do hope that my summaries have helped and saved you some time.
Keep careering on...
