The Department for Education has published statutory guidance (most recently updated in October 2018) for maintained schools on their duty to provide careers guidance.
This statutory guidance builds upon the Government’s careers strategy published in December 2017, which aims to ensure that all young people in secondary education get a programme of advice and guidance that is stable, structured and delivered by individuals with the right skills and experience.
1. Every school must publish details of their careers programme for young people and their parents. For the current academic year, schools must include:
2. The governing body must ensure that pupils are provided with independent careers guidance from year 8 to year 13. The careers guidance must:
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:
5. All schools must continue to provide relevant information about all pupils to local authority support services. This includes:
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: