Paul Symes Educational Services

Edge Hill Careers Teachers Conference

What do our Young People want?

• Britain thinks: • (ex)Aspirational Nation – A study of the

aspirations and expectations of young people and their parents July 2013.

• The study looked at the aspirations of 14 -18 year olds and their parents.

What do young people want in the next ten years?

70% having a job they love

56% being married/ in a stable relationship with kids

54% Moving out/ owning own home

And what’s not Important

1% 5% 6%

Designer Brands

Being rich enough not to work

Being famous and being on TV

Unrealistic Expectations

• They are likely to overestimate how much they will earn.

£21,424 £35,350

Median fulltime average earning for 22- 29 year olds (2012) Average expected salary in Ten

Years

Future Employment

0% think they will be unemployed after school

Current Unemployment for 16-24 year olds is 20%

The Finding the Future Report by ‘Working Links’ found:

– Four in five (85%) young unemployed people feel they left school ill equipped to find a job.

– Just 14% of young unemployed people say they were told about vocational options, including apprenticeships at school

– Almost three quarters (72%) of parents feel schools did not prepare their children for work with 63% feeling education is focussed too much on academic pathways

– Over half the young unemployed people surveyed said they received careers advice less than once a year and only 9% receive regular guidance.

What do you think?

• Is this a true reflection of our young people?

2013 –2014 What a year!

• January 2013 – Select Committee Report • March 2013 – revised Statutory Guidance for Schools

expanding provision from yr8 –yr13• New Careers Development Institute Framework for

Careers Education and Work Related Learning Practical Guidelines published

• Ofsted thematic review • BIS/DFE Careers Guidance Action Plan • Ofsted new framework for inspections• April 2014 – Publication of Statutory / non Statutory

Guidance on Careers Guidance and Inspiration

A Cloudy Horizon the Careers Service in England’ – Pearson Think Tank

• Provision is patchy in schools• Some schools have increasing careers related

activities but a greater number are reducing them

• Overall provision is declining -7% this year on last

• Marked drop in work experience -14%• Individual career counselling -9%• Careers fairs -7%

A Cloudy Horizon the Careers Service in England’ – Pearson Think Tank

• Provision is strongest in yrs 10 +11 but weak in 7+8• Awareness of new statutory guidance patchy • 1/3 participants admitting they had never heard of it• 1/5 schools saying they were confident of meeting the

new duty• Majority of respondents indicate that careers work is

an important part of the ethos of the school and it should have a stronger part in the National Curriculum

• Data shows no decline in careers work in the private sector but a more negative view in the state sector

Recommendation of the Think Tank

• Recommendation 1 : Schools should have one leader responsible for Careers

• Recommendation 2 : Schools should have one employer – governor lead on careers

• Recommendation 3 : Schools should provide consistent careers support to all learners.

• Recommendation 4 : Ofsted should explicitly inspect careers

Ofsted- Outcomes and Impact of Ofsted’s Careers Guidance Survey

• Ofsted survey reported by Karen Adriaanse.• Surveyed guidance in 60 schools, the following

headlines were reported: – Thousands are denied vital careers advice– ¾ of schools fail to provide careers advice– Schools ‘failing to help pupils find good jobs’– Schools failing on careers advice – Three in four schools fail duty to provide careers advice,

Ofsted finds• Karen Adriaanse stressed that none of the statements

above were accurate.

Going in the right direction?

• The new arrangements were only working well in one in five of the 60 schools visited.

• The one in five schools came from a mixture of schools, (Grammar schools, comprehensives in deprived areas, comprehensives in leafy suburbs etc) There was no category of school that was particularly outstanding:- put another way, any school can provide outstanding guidance and support.

Going in the right direction?

• The survey found that ‘Middle Band’ schools providing satisfactory or good guidance were providing a host of activities for young people, outside speakers, world of work experiences, good careers information and guidance interviews.

• However the work was not co-ordinated, there were some young people who had many experiences and some who had no experiences or very few

Going in the right direction?

• Ofsted saw good practice when activities were linked to the curriculum.

• Displays enhanced the practice – careers information environment

• Careers worked best when there was buy-in from the top

What the students said they wanted:

• More information on the full range of courses run by FE colleges and other providers, since not everyone wants to do A levels and go to university

• A higher profile given to vocational training and apprenticeships to help them make an informed choice

• Visits, presentations or social media pages from former students

• More purposeful work experience and opportunities to find out about careers from employers

• Better links between subjects and careers• Better guidance on using the web sites

What the students said they wanted:

• Ofsted saw these points as important– Overall the points can be summarised as students

want more careers information. – It is important to keep these points in mind when

planning activities and guidance. • Can we provide more information to our

students?

Ofsted – latest guidance

• In the framework published in Sept 2013 Careers/ preparation for progression was examined in ‘Leadership and Management’ it now comes under ‘Achievement of pupils’

• The inspection framework published April 2014 states.– ‘When evaluating the achievements of pupils,

inspectors will consider how well: Pupils are prepared for the next stage of their

education, training and/or employment. (Para 52 p.17)

Ofsted – latest guidance

• In the subsidiary Guidance given to inspectors the guidance is the same as given in the Sept 2013. That is:‘ The extent to which timely information, advice and guidance provides the pupils with a good understanding of the full range of options available to assist them to make informed decisions about their next steps in education, training or employment; the availability and quality of advice and guidance on learning and pathways; and whether staff have the necessary qualifications, experience and skills to provide information advice and guidance.’

Inspections so far

• Examined approximately 60 Ofsted reports between Sept 2013 – Nov 2013.

• Not all reported on Careers Guidance approximately half have.

• All that reported have been positive – even when the overall report for the school has been weak CEG has been used to add a positive twist

• So what has been said? Some examples:

What Ofsted have said:

Bothal Middle School.The federation has enhanced the curriculum considerably by providing opportunities for students to work with the world of business. For example, some students worked with designers from a multi national car company and other embarking on work with two London Law firms in partnership with Durham Univesity. These activities are helping to lift the aspirations of students and prepare them for the world of work.

Ashton Community Science CollegeStudents are guided on to the appropriate courses. Those who studied vocational courses within college and under partnership arrangements make good progress in their learning . In 2012 no students were not in education, employment or training when they left yr11

What Ofsted have said:

• Whitworth Park School and 6th Form – College students are guided well on how to successfully progress to

their next stage of education, employment or training. Students say careers advice is useful.

• Fairfield High School– Students receive excellent information, advice and guidance, including

careers advice, throughout their time at school. In 2013, almost all students progressed successfully to their next stage of their education, training or employment. This is consistent with previous years

• Ounsdale High School – The school makes sure students receive appropriate independent

advice to help them prepare for their next steps in education training or employment

What Ofsted have said:

• In reports that have taken place from 1st April the following has been reported, however it has been reported under ‘Leadership and Management’ and not under ‘Achievement of Pupils’

What Ofsted have said:

• Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate Girls School (1st – 2nd April 2014 ) – Students in all years, including sixth form, are offered a

most appropriate, broad and rich range of subjects and activities. The rich provision for extra curricular activities makes a major contribution to the students’ academic and personal achievement. It is rare for a student to leave without a place in employment, training or education. The growing number of students successfully gaining admission to top universities, including Oxbridge colleges, bears testimony to the success of the school and the expectations staff have of their students.

What Ofsted have said:

• Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate Boys School ( 1st -2nd April 2014) :– The range of subjects and courses available meets

students learning needs well as a result of very careful consideration given to the changes to the courses available. The high quality of guidance on various future pathways prepares students well for higher education or the world of employment

What Ofsted have said:

• The Nuneaton Academy (6-7 March 2014) – Careers Education is improving and there are

regular ‘Lifeskills’ and guidance sessions from form tutors. All yr 11 students have independent advice from external careers advice service. Students on vocational courses also undertake work experience which prepares them well for the next step in their careers.

What Ofsted have said about Sixth Form Colleges

• Ofsted report on Careers in the Outcomes for Learners section of the report.

• Stockton Sixth form College (18-21st March 2014)– An increasingly high proportion of students move onto

university courses on completion of their courses and, in 2013, as a result of a helpful focus and good links with other providers, 28 students took up apprenticeships after their college courses. All completing students in 2013 had a positive destination to either further or higher education or employment.

What Ofsted have said about Sixth Form Colleges

• John Leggott Sixth Form College (25th – 28th March 2014) – Many students obtain useful additional

qualifications and some gain valuable work place experience. Careers and University advice and guidance are well developed.

Careers Guidance and Inspiration in Schools:- Published April 2014

• A close reading of the documents makes it clear that the statutory duty to ensure that all pupils are provided with ‘independent careers guidance’ . This can be met by involving a range of employers and further/ higher education providers in a programme of activities related to the school

Careers Guidance and Inspiration in Schools

• The role of the professional careers advisor is given minimal attention; employers are expected to provide ‘advice and guidance’ but teachers are not; the concept of careers education is ignored.

• On quality assurance, there is no visible reference to the Careers Development Institute, and the Quality in Careers Standard is not mentioned at all