Statutory Duty

Five top things to do during the 21/22 academic year - More thoughts on the July 21 Statutory duty for careers

Five top things to do during the 21/22 academic year - More thoughts on the July 21 Statutory duty for careers

Thursday 22nd July 2021

I've now had time to go through the full guidance in more detail and there are a few things that need flagging up to be done over the coming months, if you've not done them already. No I'm not suggesting you give up your well deserved summer break but make a to do list for the coming year.

One - You are your school's careers expert - Own the role

Firstly, print out the section for SLT and Governors, highlight it and go through it with them in person. I say this simply because my experience of SLT is that they have so much to do that the printout may get left in a pile and overlooked, not deliberately but possibly. If you spend half an hour of a meeting going through it, there's more chance of it hitting home. If possible get your link Governor in on the meeting to save doing it twice. This is you operating in your capacity as the school expert in careers and providing guidance to your SLT and Governors.

Page 15 points out that the complementary roles of careers leader and careers adviser are not necessarily the same person. IMHO a careers adviser provides unbiased advice and guidance to pupils, whilst the careers leader has oversight of the entire careers offer including teaching, resourcing and managing. This is not to say that they can't be the same person, but that person would have in effect two roles to fulfill.

The Careers Leader may be a teaching or non-teaching member of staff but should have the time, authority, knowledge, skills and clear backing of the Governors and Senior Leadership team to do the job

This should be taken to mean that the careers leader should have access to training available free via the CEC and more importantly, protected time to carry out the duties required.

PS The CDI careers leader training is excellent.

Two - plan how to implement careers being taught across all subjects and as part of discrete lessons

Page 24/5 frames its expectation thus...

Subject teachers should also support the school's approach to careers education and guidance. The curriculum offers excellent opportunities for developing the knowledge and skills that employers need and subject teachers can be powerful role models to attract pupils towards their subject and the careers that flow from it. Schools should ask all teachers to support the career development of young people in their tutorial role and through their subject teaching. Many schools currently deliver careers, employability and enterprise lessons through the curriculum as part of their commitment to Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. Schools should work towards weaving careers education and guidance in to subjects across the curriculum, including PSHE

This signals the expectation that parts of career learning should be included in ALL subjects but that there should also be specific PSHE lessons of career learning.

The CDI framework has been referenced as a useful resource (pg38) Make sure you have downloaded the framework and the supporting materials. The audit will give you the chance to update your scheme of work where necessary and also to start to include subject leaders.

You'll probably need to deliver some CPD to support this move, that means SLT support is vital. Also I can help via my whole staff INSET

Three - Get ready for Ofsted

Ofsted is now required to make a comment about careers provision in every report - more info on the way Ofsted inspect careers can be found in my blogs and also the bespoke training I provide for careers leaders in how to get ready for an Ofsted inspection. A short version of my full training can be found via the CDI Expert Series Webinars. Search for Ofsted

It has been clarified that a school's grading may be reduced if the school doesn't have a Baker Clause statement on its website AND if it isn't clear from the inspection that the students are being given the opportunity to access information on ALL possible paths. This would be ascertained by speaking to students and staff AND via destinations data.

A successful careers guidance programme will also be reflected in higher numbers of pupils progressing to positive destinations such as apprenticeships, technical routes, school sixth forms, sixth form colleges, further education colleges, universities or employment. Destination measures provide clear and comparable information on the success of schools in helping all of their pupils take qualifications that offer them the best opportunity to continue in education or training.

Four - Update the school website careers section

You MUST include the following:-

  • The name, email address and phone number of the careers leader (as part of the Baker Clause Statement (An example policy is on page 33 of the statutory guidance)
  • A summary of the careers programme including details of how students, parents, staff, and employers may access fuller information
  • How the school assesses the impact of the programme on students.

Five - Track student experiences and guidance interviews

However you track student encounters with employer, employees, training providers, universities etc, it needs to be clear and easy to maintain. The statutory guidance sets out a minimum of one experience per year for each student. Therefore, it's not sufficient to say year 9 all had a team building day with the Army. Which pupils were absent? Which were sent to the year head for misbehaviour? Any system you use must reflect the ability to meet that requirement.

Some schools pay to use packages such as Grofar, Unifrog or Start Profile. Others prefer to use the CEC Compass or Compass+ system that is free to use and some use never ending excel sheets. Whatever works for you.

With regard to guidance interviews they should also be tracked and should be delivered by a qualified careers professional, Each student should be offered at least one by the age of 16 and a further one between the ages of 16-18. The CDI recommends that a minimum of 45 minutes is allowed for each interview.

The school should use a qualified careers professional, who could be an appropriately trained member of school staff, to provide personal guidance interviews. The Career Development Institute (CDI) has developed a set of professional standards for careers advisers which includes a Professional Register of advisers holding Level 6 or higher qualifications and guidelines on how advisers can develop their own skills and gain higher qualifications. Registration shows that a careers adviser is professionally qualified and abides by the CDI Code of Ethics, which includes impartiality and updates their skills and knowledge by undertaking 25 hours CPD each year. Page 32

I think that's enough to be getting on with don't you?