Quality Control & Assessment
The DFE hopes that engagement in any element of the Careers Impact System will encourage more schools, special schools and colleges to work towards the Quality in Careers Standard.
Monday 15th January 2024
Janet Colledge
As you may well have read, I have voiced my reservations about the Career Impact Review System (CIRS) that the Careers and Enterprise Company have developed and it's potential to divert schools away from the Quality in Careers Standard (Standard).
As a board member of the Standard Consortium I'm strongly behind schools complying with the DFE's stated guidance that schools are "strongly recommended' to obtain the Standard. However, empirically, I know, and have been in contact with schools that are strapped for cash and being time and resources poor may opt for the 'free' option of the CEC Impact Review, albeit we all pay for the CEC via our taxes, rather than gaining or being reassessed for the Standard which is backed by an evidence base that has been refined and updated over the past 30 years or so. The efficacy of the Standard has been backed up by data issued by the CEC which confirms that schools that have attained the standard achieve a higher number of the Gatsby Benchmarks (higher Compass score than those that don't.)
I'm hoping that my voice will add to those that value the Standard and see it as the pinnacle of excellent careers provision and indeed a valued improvement tool in schools and colleges throughout England and the UK. Please feel free to use my blogs to support your requests to SLT and Governors for support to start working towards the standard.
I want start by drawing your attention to the update published a few days ago within the newly updated Guide to the Standard that has been agreed between the Standard and the CEC. It can be found on page 25 and reads:-
The 'Careers Impact System' is designed to support secondary schools, special schools and colleges on a journey towards a progressive and differentiated careers provision, underpinned by relevant learning outcomes, that is embedded within whole school, special school or college improvement. The System is built around a maturity model that defines effective and strategic careers leadership and establishes a shared and standardised language of quality improvement for careers aligned to school, special school and college improvement.*
It then goes on to explain that the CIRS has 6 sections all linked to the Gatsby Benchmarks. I'd like to point out that the Standard is also linked to the Gatsby Benchmarks.
The System has several elements including self-evaluation and peer-to-peer review. Careers Impact peer-to-peer reviews are being rolled out across Careers Hubs and Trusts. The purpose of the peer-to-peer reviews is to embed a standardised process of continuous improvement across national
networks.
Finally it goes on to say
Since the DfE 'strongly recommends all schools and colleges' to work towards achieving the Quality in Careers Standard, the Department hopes that engagement in any element of the Careers Impact System will encourage more schools, special schools and colleges to consider working towards the Standard by increasing their confidence to seek external assessment.
The Standard Consortium then goes on to comment :-
There is much commonality and synergy, as would be expected, between the Careers Impact System maturity model and the Quality in Careers Standard's assessment criteria. Secondary schools, special schools and colleges that are working towards or have achieved the Quality in Careers Standard, for example, will be well-placed to make more informed self-evaluation reflections about their practice.
Assessors for the Quality in Careers Standard who carry out assessments in a secondary school, special school or college should take any indicators or learning from the Careers Impact System into account and continue to make their independent judgements on the quality of the careers provision.
NOTE - I originally titled this blog with the title starting The CEC hopes... I stand corrected as it is the DFE who issued the statement rather than the CEC.
Just by way of extra info the Standard also published 2 new guidance notes - Links are below but they can also be accessed via the Quality in Careers website
Update on Personal Guidance
Update on Parental Engagement
Finally, if you want evidence of the impact that the Standard has on schools, special schools and colleges, have a look at the case studies which can be found on the CEC resources bank.
