Select committee: Education Committee

Conclusion 35

Fourth Report - Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Published 29 Jun 2023 Paragraph 134 Addressed to Department for Education
Conclusion (the committee's words)
It is clear that pupils with SEND have particular need of high-quality, tailored CEIAG provision, and worrying that these young people are more than twice as likely as their peers to have received no careers guidance at all. It is positive that the Department is piloting extending Supported Internships to pupils without an EHCP, but the SEND Improvement Plan was a missed opportunity to further improve CEIAG provision for this group.

From: Education Committee, Fourth Report - Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (HC 54), paragraph 134, 29 June 2023

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 21 September 2023 (deadline 29 August 2023).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says it welcomes the report and "accept[s] fully or in part the majority of the Committee's recommendations", and says that where it does not fully accept one, it has an alternative existing or planned approach.

  • On a new strategy, it agrees there is "a strong case" and intends to publish a Strategic Action Plan for Careers in 2024, setting clear measurable outcomes and dates.
  • It does not accept additional numerical Gatsby Benchmark targets, saying they risk "encouraging a tick-box approach".
  • It is "not persuaded" that it should suggest a proportion of time for Careers Leaders, and "does not agree" with ringfencing funding for careers advisers, saying schools and colleges are best placed to decide their own arrangements.
  • It agrees to update the careers statutory guidance in spring 2024 to set an expectation that schools and colleges self-report against the Gatsby Benchmarks annually, while avoiding mandating Compass.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error