Outstanding Careers | Careers Education Consultant | Ofsted Inspection Careers

Evidence for the Education Select Committee Part 1

Saturday 22nd November 2014

The Ed Select Committee asked what we wanted for CEIAG in schools and received over 40 responses. Some poor so and so had to read them so to save you the effort, I've reduced the content of each of the first 20 submissions down to a few words. This should help you to prioritise which ones you want to read in-depth. Please remember, this is my (cross-eyed) 'take' Please feel free to disagree with me or comment below.

Fatherhood Institute

• Gender stereotypes especially re men not being encouraged into caring professions

Russell George -Stopsley High School

• Staffing and resources,
• The role of NCS
• Pressure to stay on into schools' own sixth form

Dr Carol Fuller

• Role of parents,
• Teachers lack of confidence to deliver careers related learning,
• Pressure to stay on into school's own sixth form,
• Demographic based subject choice bias.

Careers South West

• The need to encourage & enable young people to translate ideas and information into a personalised pathway with alternatives, just in case.
• The need for careers education as well as guidance.
• The failure of many schools to inform pupils about UTCs and studio schools.
• The unique role of the careers adviser in translating ideas into reality and making sense of the information generated by employer engagement, alumni, mentors etc.

Institute of Engineering and Technology

• Collaboration between employers and schools
• UCAS style system for vocational routes
• Freely available careers advice delivered by qualified careers advisers

Edge Foundation

• Schools deep-seated belief in 'the academic route' and the 'steering' of able students away from the vocational route
• Freely available careers advice delivered by qualified careers advisers
• Strengthened sanctions for schools who do not meet minimum standards (limited Ofsted judgement?)
• Must should be used far more than should in the statutory guidance.

The 157 Group

• Little incentive for employers to be involved in inspiring young people and a lack of 'space and time' for heads to engage with employers to make it work.
• That the Government still sees careers as a 'add on' to education rather than an integral part of it.
• Must should be used far more than should in the statutory guidance.
• Warns against destinations data being used as a sole accountability measure
• Teachers need an appropriate knowledge of the life beyond the education system.
• Comments on the withdrawal of statutory WRL for pre 16s and its negative effect.

Gatsby Foundation

• Welcome Governments interest in inspiration but warn it is not enough
• Schools need stronger incentives, schools should have to publish their own destination data for 3 years after pupils leave and have to publish a school careers plan.
• NCS should improve school support.
• Face to face guidance is essential.
• Apprenticeships should be more widely promoted

NFER

• Improvement of parent's and general school staff's understanding of careers
• Professional development for teachers in order that they understand vocational pathways more fully.
• Promote more understanding of the vital role of independent and professional advice for young people in the information sifting and decision-making process
• UCAS style system for vocational routes
• That there are clear and agreed outcome measures against which to judge the success of the careers system.

Association of Colleges

• Careers Hubs in every locality
• Careers to be embedded in the school curriculum
• Highlights the 'encouragement' by schools for 14-18 year olds to stay in school rather than UTCs, studio schools & colleges

Ofsted

• Careers activities not sufficiently managed, tailored to individual needs or evaluated
• It is clear from inspections that most schools focus on ensuring that their students do progress to further education and training at 16, Ofsted is concerned that not enough students receive adequate careers guidance to ensure that they are progressing to provision that will support their future careers.
• Need for destination data to be more complete and up to date
• The role of pupil premium in providing support for career planning activities
• Ofsted would like to emphasise that it is vital that schools, academies and providers are self-critical in their evaluation of the quality and impact of their careers guidance provision

AELP

• Appropriate face to face careers advice and guidance should be provided to all young people.
• Schools should be required to ensure their information, advice and guidance (IAG) is managed or delivered by professional IAG staff.
• Strengthening destinations measures
• UCAS style system for vocational routes
• Involvement of training providers alongside employers & schools/colleges

Young National Children's Bureau

• Concentrates on pupils perceptions of careers and contains a list of what young people would like to see improved.

Virtual College

• Agrees website access is not sufficient in itself to deliver careers but continues...
• However, we believe that the Committee and the government should make a clear distinction between websites and online tools. If designed with a pedagogic methodology, online tools can constitute high quality careers guidance to support career professionals and contribute to careers and training decisions for individuals throughout their entire education and working lives.

Julia Yates, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, University of East London and Dr Lyn Barham, independent researcher in Career Development (NICEC fellows)

• Inspiration as encouraged by the statutory guidance is a valuable, but partial, element in encouraging career thinking and planning in young people.
• Policy assumes making sound career decisions will be a straightforward process, rather than a complex process with which young people often need support.
• Employer engagement welcomed but coordination and evaluation vital
• Emphasises the role of careers education in addition to inspiration.
• Emphasises the role of the professional careers adviser.

Careers England

• Emphasises the role of careers education in addition to inspiration
• Highlights the inconsistencies in Ofsted inspection of careers within schools.
• The role of quality awards in supporting improved delivery
• The role of careers within the SEND process.

ASCL

• Current career pathways are now more varied and complex than ever. Schools are only one section of the process with parents, peers, employers, the media and others also playing a significant part.
• Weaknesses of the school based model have been compounded by the failure to transfer to schools any funds with which to provide the service.
• Too many should's and not enough must's in the current statutory guidance.
• Ofsted is being used as a 'stick' to improve careers and the Government should consider other methods of improvement which may be more effective.
• Destination data is not a fair or reliable measure of careers effectiveness.
• Adequate funding needed before compelling schools to provide 1-2-1 for all pupils.