Requirement - what schools must do

1. Every school must publish details of their careers programme for young people and their parents. For the current academic year, schools must include:

• the name, email address and telephone number of the school’s Careers Leader
• a summary of the careers programme, including details of how pupils, parents, teachers and employers may access information about the careers programme
• how the school measures and assesses the impact of the careers programme on pupils
• the date of the school’s next review of the information published

2. The governing body must ensure that pupils are provided with independent careers guidance from year 8 to year 13. The careers guidance must:

• be presented in an impartial manner, showing no bias or favouritism towards a particular institution, education or work option;
• include information on the range of education or training options, including apprenticeships and technical education routes;
• promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given.

3. Every school must ensure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access all pupils in year 8 to year 13 for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. 

4. The school must prepare a policy statement setting out the circumstances in which education and training providers will be given access to pupils, and to ensure that this is followed. The policy statement must be published and must include:

• any procedural requirement in relation to requests for access
• grounds for granting and refusing requests for access
• details of premises or facilities to be provided to a person who is given access

5. All schools must continue to provide relevant information about all pupils to local authority support services. This includes:

• basic information such as the pupil’s name, address and date of birth
• other information that the local authority needs in order to support the young person to participate in education or training and to track their progress. This includes for example: young people’s contact details including phone numbers, information to help identify those at risk of becoming NEET post-16, young people’s post-16 and post-18 plans and the offers they receive of places in post-16 or higher education. However, schools must only provide the basic information, and not this additional information, if a pupil aged 16 or over, or the parent/carer of a pupil aged under 16, has instructed them not to share information of this kind with the local authority. The school’s privacy notice is the normal means of offering young people and their parents/carers the opportunity to ask for personal information not to be shared.

6. All schools must also notify local authorities whenever a 16 or 17-year-old leaves an education or training programme before completion.

7. Where pupils have EHC plans, their annual reviews must, from year 9 at the latest, include a focus on adulthood, including employment. Schools should ensure these reviews are informed by good careers guidance. Schools must co-operate with local authorities who have an important role to play.

8. Schools must ensure that young people are clear about the requirement to stay in education until 18 and what it means for them. In particular, they must be clear that young people are not required to stay in school. They can choose how to participate which might be through:

• full time study in a school, college or training provider;
• an apprenticeship, traineeship or supported internship;
• full time work or volunteering (20 hours or more) combined with part time accredited training.