Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Acknowledged
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Schools are incentivised to bias pupils towards academic routes over vocational pathways.
Conclusion
Simply informing pupils of the options available is not enough to tackle the fundamental bias towards academic routes still seen in many schools. As long as 52 Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance schools are incentivised to steer pupils towards academic paths and to celebrate university admissions over apprenticeship or work outcomes, this problem is likely to remain.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the bias towards academic routes and outlines existing Ofsted assessments for careers provision. It also highlights a new initiative with UCAS from autumn 2023 to present apprenticeship opportunities alongside undergraduate courses for greater parity of information.
Paragraph Reference:
113
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
On all Ofsted school inspections, inspectors assess the quality of careers provision and how well it benefits pupils in choosing and deciding their next steps. As set out in the school inspection handbook, inspectors will look at the quality of the unbiased careers advice and guidance provided to pupils, the school’s implementation of the provider access legislation to enable a range of education and training providers to engage with pupils in years 8 to 13, and school’s provision of good-quality, meaningful opportunities for pupils to encounter the world of work. If a school is not meeting the requirements of the provider access legislation, inspectors will state this in the inspection report. Inspectors will consider what impact this has on the quality of careers provision and the subsequent judgement for personal development. Before every full school inspection, the inspector receives a data summary inspection report. This includes relevant data for inspectors to help them prepare for an inspection. Destination data showing the proportion of pupils progressing to education, employment and apprenticeship destinations is included in that report and Ofsted weights these equally. Inspectors use the data in the report as a starting point for understanding the school. Where any data seems unusual or gives any case for concern, inspectors will follow this up with the school on inspection. This approach means that schools are held to account for ensuring pupils receive effective unbiased, careers information, advice and guidance so they can pursue the educational route which is right for them. The Department aims to ensure that each pupil follows the route which is right for them, be this academic, vocational, technical, or employment. To facilitate this, as set out in the introduction, the Get the Jump : Skills for Life campaign brings together information on education and training courses into one place, covering T Levels, apprenticeships, Vocational Technical Qualifications, Higher Technical Qualifications, A Levels, Higher Education and internships. It signposts users to a page on the National Careers Service website that brings all these options together for the first time. The Department–as mentioned in our response to recommendation 14–is also supporting teachers to develop their knowledge of career pathways and the labour market. Moreover, our success in taking the updated provider access legislation through Parliament last year also demonstrates our commitment to improving the parity of esteem for technical and academic options and raising awareness of technical options for pupils in secondary schools. The Department is supporting several initiatives to raise awareness of technical options and apprenticeships for pupils’ post-16 options. For example, through the ASK programme, we are continuing to provide information, advice and guidance on apprenticeships, T Levels and various other technical education routes. ASK has engaged with over 600,000 young people in the academic year 2022/23, over 2,200 schools, and nearly 80 FE colleges. In addition, as set out in the introduction, DfE and UCAS are working together to boost the number of 18-year-olds moving into apprenticeships through the UCAS Hub. Over 1.5m students already use the UCAS Hub to access information on different education and training routes. From autumn 2023, students will be able to explore apprenticeship opportunities alongside undergraduate courses within the Hub, allowing them to discover and decide between their options in the same place for the first time. Students will be able to see the different routes into a single career destination. For example, if a student is interested in engineering, they will see the undergraduate and apprenticeship routes displayed side-by-side. Presenting students with all their choices in one place will not only transform the apprenticeship offering but create real parity by putting these options side-by-side with undergraduate courses.