CEIAG for Headteachers, Governors and SLT
Not the statutory guidance but a signpost
Tuesday 15th November 2016
OK so now my blog posts are like busses, wait for ages for one and two come along at once. I can't take any credit at all, but on the same day I post bemoaning the lack of new statutory guidance, the Government have published its reply to the sub committee for Education, Employment & Skills report. I've managed to read it and my synopsis is below. Apologies for such a long post but its' shorter than the original by far!
It's not the statutory guidance we've waited for but it does give us some idea of where the Government seems to be going with it's strategy. It starts off positively by saying
"...we agree with the Committee that there is more to do to ensure all young people have access to the support they need..This means making available rich, high quality information - at the right times -"
It then signals very clearly that CEIAG needs to reach down to primary level
'We need to be more ambitious in creating a careers offer which is tailored to each education transition point. Beginning at primary,"
There is quite a lot about the scope of the Careers & Enterprise Company and their input into supporting schools including mentoring and setting out the latest announcement of cold spot funding
"The Company will also invest £4 million to support pupils in secondary schools and colleges that are most in need. This includes £1 million of funding of targeted support in the first six Opportunity Areas. The remaining £3 million will be invested in programmes in other parts of the country which have had a proven positive impact on supporting young people into work, such as work experience, workplace visits, careers talks and volunteering."
The response then goes on to outline the role of the National Careers Service in supporting schools and confirms that the NCS is currently developing a new digital service. This could explain the recent change in the NCS website.
The meat of the response comes next with the following statement
_"We are also:
reviewing our guidance and communications to ensure that schools and colleges are clearer about their responsibilities;
introducing an online post-16 course directory in the autumn to cover all types of 16-18 courses;
improving destinations measures, and including them as a headline measure in the Key Stage 5 and 16-18 performance tables which will be published in 2016; and
working with Ofsted to give a higher priority to careers guidance in school inspections."_
and reaffirms the importance of CEIAG by saying
"Just as every pupil deserves access to a good school place, every young person, including those who are just managing, must have access to high quality careers education, information, advice and guidance."
The reply then goes on to highlight their responses to particular suggestions in the report.
_"...incentivise all schools to deliver high quality careers programmes.
We are determined to tackle the patchy state of careers provision and raise its importance and profile in schools."_
and again highlights the role of CEC & NCS and go on to say that they are developing more detailed proposals.
The school programme & efficacy
The sub committee report stated "An effective school careers programme should include a combination of impartial and independent advice and guidance, careers education embedded in the curriculum, and opportunities for students to engage with employers." and the reply points out that
The guidance states that schools should have a strategy for the careers guidance they provide to young people, which is embedded within a clear framework linked to outcomes for pupils..It concludes that comprehensive careers provision hinges on doing a range of activities, consistently and well."
The reply then continues
"Destination measures provide clear and comparable information on the success of schools and colleges in helping all of their students take qualifications that offer them the best opportunity to continue in education or training. We also recognize that schools need to build more consistent capacity to implement a careers framework. We will look carefully at lessons learnt from the Gatsby Foundation's pilot of the Benchmarks in the north east of England, and at the work that other organisations have done in this area, as we agree future action during this Parliament and beyond."
They acknowledge that schools often are selective in the information provided for pupils saying that Ofsted found that schools often have a narrow view of routes and many are poor at promoting them. Therefore they intend to introduce legislation. They will also update the statutory duty to reflect this move.
' Subject to the will of Parliament, schools will be required by law to collaborate with colleges, university technical colleges and other training providers. "
The role of Ofsted
The reply doesn't accept the committee's suggestion of a separate Ofsted judgment for CEIAG by saying
"Matters relating to careers provision feature within three of these four judgements. First, in judging leadership and management, inspectors take account of the leadership of the curriculum and the impact of the curriculum in preparing pupils for their future. Second, in judging pupils' personal development, behaviour and welfare, inspectors consider the impact of impartial careers guidance. Finally, in judging outcomes, inspectors consider information about pupils' destinations. Destinations data will become an even more significant part of school accountability in future, as it will feature as a headline measure in the 2016 Key Stage 4 and 16-18 performance tables."
The response then sets out how destination data has been strengthened and made more accessible.
The Quality in Careers Award & Matrix Standard
The original recommendations by the sub committee was to merge the two major forms of accreditation for CEIAG, although this was met by dismay from most of the CEIAG community, prompting official statements from a number of interested parties including QICS, The CDI & Careers England all voicing dismay at the proposed merger of two such disparate institutions.
The response appears to have taken those responses on board and has no intention to merge the two but they will be speaking to both about simplifications and reaffirms their support of the QICS for schools by saying
"DfE recommends that schools should work towards a Quality Award as an effective means of carrying out a self-review and evaluation of the school's programme."
The role of professional careers advisers & coaches
The recommendation to mandate that all careers advisers working in schools be qualified to level 6 was met with We won't tell you how to suck eggs but this is how you do it response:-
"Pupils can gain confidence and motivation from the opportunity to explore career ideas through individual, face-to-face discussions with a range of people, including careers professionals. We trust schools to know what is best for their pupils and we do not mandate a specific qualification so as to leave schools space to tailor what they offer and who delivers it...
We provide information in the statutory guidance about the register of careers professionals, developed by the Career Development Institute, which schools can use to search for a career development professional who can deliver a particular service or activity. A condition for inclusion on the register is to hold or be working towards a level 6 careers qualification."
Expectations
_"The Government wants schools to build the skills and expertise required to plan strategically for the provision of careers education and guidance, embedding careers and employability skills in the curriculum and engaging external partners in the delivery of high quality, inspirational support. In addition to the role of careers professionals it is also important to examine the role of governors, schools leaders and teachers in delivering effective careers education, information, advice and guidance."
"We agree with the Committee's comments and recommendations on the importance of investing in good quality careers advice in addressing the skills mismatch and the need to make accurate labour market information available."
"We expect schools, through their careers guidance to pupils, to explain the value of finding out about the labour market and support young people and their parents to access, use and interpret labour market information. We recognise that expert advice or guidance can play a role in this."
"...only 39% of schools are currently providing young people from year 7 onwards with at least one employer encounter a year...Employer engagement is fundamental to effective, high-quality careers and enterprise programmes, whether that is through direct 1:1 mentoring relationships or by offering work experience and more exposure to the world of work."_
The role of work experience is discussed, challenging the traditional view of a 2 week block
_"A traditional 'work experience' placement may be of greatest benefit to many pupils, but may not be appropriate for meeting the individual needs of all pupils. Other activities involving employers, such as careers insights, mentoring and work tasters, are crucial in giving young people the skills they need to succeed."
"As part of the Technical Education reforms outlined in the 'Post-16 Skills Plan', every 16-18 year old pupil following a two-year college-based technical education programme will be entitled to a substantial, high-quality work placement in their second year."_
Well done you've got to the end... Time for another cuppa whilst you digest the implications for your school?
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1 thought on "Not the statutory guidance but a signpost"
ANDYPENALUNA November 15, 2016 at 11:43 am
Hi Janet, and thanks for this. Dare I also suggest that colleagues look a little further afield? For example as part of the European Skills Gap agenda EntreComp was developed. This offers real insights into learning outcomes that support entrepreneurial learning, which is defined as creating value for others. Take a look at the wheel on page 11-12.
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/entrecomp-entrepreneurship-competence-framework
Also perhaps, as EntreComp is informing Welsh school provision, the Donaldson Review might be of interest?
PPt slides offer an overview here - "Enterprising Creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work" : http://www.uwtsd.ac.uk/media/uwtsd-website/content-assets/documents/wcee/successful-futures.pdf
Things are moving much faster outside of England in my view.
