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ThenewstatutoryrequirementsincareersguidanceinEnglandand

theimplicationsforcareersprovisionundertheCoalition

government

CharlotteChadderton

SeniorResearchFellowinEducation

CassSchoolofEducationandCommunities

UniversityofEastLondon

Stratford

London

E154LZ

c.chadderton@uel.ac.uk

Abstract

TheEducationAct2011passedresponsibilityforcareersguidanceinEnglandfrom

localauthoritiestoschools,providingnoextrafundingorstafftraining.Thispaper

reportsonaprojectconductedinschoolsinEastLondon,whichaimedtoenhance

careersworkinresponsetothenewrequirements.Itarguesthatwhilstschoolscan

enhancetheircareersprogramme,thenewarrangementshaveleftthemwith

requirementstheyhaveneitherthefunding,expertisenornetworkstofulfil.Thismove

bytheCoalitiongovernmentiscontributingtoaprocessofdeteriorationofcareers

provisioninEngland,involvingtheunderminingofthecareersprofessionandthe

diminishingofprofessionalismincareersprovision.

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Keywords

Careerswork;SecondaryeducationinEngland;years7‐9;actionresearch.

Introduction

TheEducationAct2011handedoverresponsibilitytoprovideCareersEducation

InformationAdviceandGuidance(CEIAG)inEnglandtoschools.Inthepast,CEIAG,or

careerswork,wastheresponsibilityoflocalauthorityfundedCareersServices,and

from2001‐11,ofConnexions,theholisticsupportservicewhoseremitwastoprovide

allkindsofInformation,AdviceandGuidance(IAG)toyoungpeople.Fundshavenow

beencompletelywithdrawnfromConnexions,andschoolshavebeenprovidedwiththe

vaguestofguidelines,andnoextrafundstofulfilthenewrequirements.Thispaper

reportsonanactionresearchprojectconductedintwoschoolsinEastLondon,which

aimedtoenhancecareersworkforyears7‐9inthecontextofthenewrequirements.It

arguesthatwhilstthereismuchthatschoolscandotoenhancetheirschool‐based

careersprogramme,thenewarrangementshaveleftthemwithrequirementstheyhave

neitherthefunding,experience,expertisenornetworkstofulfil.Thismovebythe

Coalitiongovernmentiscontributingtoaprocessofdeteriorationofcareersprovision

inEngland,whichbeganwiththeConnexionsService,involvingtheunderminingofthe

careersprofessionandthediminishingofprofessionalismincareersprovision.

Thereisnoagreementinthefieldofcareersworkaboutexactdefinitions.‘Careers

guidance’isoftenusedasanumbrellatermforCEIAGorcareerswork‘includingcareer

learninginthecurriculum,employerengagementandworkexperienceaswellasone‐

to‐oneadviceandguidance’(Hooleyetal,2014:5).Inthispaper,forpurposesofclarity,

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Iusetheterm‘careerswork’asanumbrellaterm,andotherwise,currentgovernment

definitionsasfollows:‘Careerseducationisthedeliveryoflearningaspartofthe

curriculum.Careerseducationisoftencloselyrelatedtowork‐experienceandother

formsofwork‐relatedlearning. Work‐relatedlearningistheprovisionof

opportunitiestodevelopknowledgeandunderstandingofworkandtodevelopskills

foremployabilitythroughdirectexperiencesofwork. Careersguidanceisadeeper

interventioninwhichanindividual’sskills,attributesandinterestsareexploredin

relationtotheircareeroptions.’(HouseofCommonsEducationCommittee,2013:8).

Connexionsandthediminishingofthecareersprofession

Untilthebeginningofthetwenty‐firstcenturycareersprovisioninEnglandforyoung

peoplewasidentifiedasamongthebestintheworld(Roberts,2013:240).Thisstarted

tochangeinitiallywiththeintroductionoftheConnexionsservicein2001.Intendedto

beaholisticserviceprovidingadviceandguidanceinallareasofyoungpeople’slives,it

incorporatedalllocalcareersservicesaswellasrepresentativesfromotheryouth

supportservices.However,whilsttheotherservicesretainedseparate,discrete

servicesaswellashavingrepresentativesworkingforConnexions,thiswasnotthecase

withcareersservices,leavingEnglandwithoutanationalorganisationwithacareers

remit(LewinandColley,2011).Connexionswasinnovativelysupposedtoprovideboth

specialistIAG(careersguidance)anduniversalIAG,relatedtootherlifeissues.Inthe

contextofincreasedattentiononsocialinclusionatthattime,itwasdesigned

specificallytofocusparticularlyonthemostdisadvantaged,aswellasprovidingcareers

guidanceforall.However,asanorganisationitwasunder‐resourced,meaningthatstaff

wereunabletoprovidebothspecialistanduniversalIAGandactuallyfocussedon

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youngpeople‘atrisk’ofexclusionattheexpenseofcareersguidanceforall.Infact,

higherachieversinmanyschoolswerenotprovidedwithaguidanceinterviewatall

(McGowan,WattsandAndrews,2009;LewinandColley,2011).Thesingleagency

createdanewprofessionofPersonalAdvisers(PA’s),drawnfromavarietyofyouth

welfareservicebackgroundswhoseroles,however,werenotclearlydefinedanditwas

unclearwhethertheyweresupposedtobeprovidingspecialistorgeneralIAG.Careers

professionalswerethereforenolongerdesignatedcareersadvisers(LewinandColley,

2011;Hooleyetal,2014).Itbecameunclearwhatcountsasaprofessionalqualification

incareerswork,andwhatconstitutedtheknowledgebaseoftheprofession(McGowan,

WattsandAndrews,2009;LewinandColley,2011:3).AreportconductedbyLifelong

LearningUKfoundthatqualificationswithinthesectorhadfallenconsiderablybetween

2004‐9(Nearyetal,2014).Inaddition,therewasnoagreementonjobtitles,with43

differenttitlesusedtodescribeindividualsworkingincareersguidance.Connexions

wasthusdisastrousforthecareersprofession,resultinginthelossofprofessional

identityforpractitioners(McGowan,WattsandAndrews,2009),andtheerosionofa

distinctivecareersprofessionwithitsownknowledgebaseandqualifications(Watts,

2001;Lewin&Colley,2011:2;Hooleyetal,2014).

Movingtowardstheestablishmentofso‐called‘IntegratedYouthSupportServices’,

budgetsweretransferredtolocalauthoritiesin2008,althoughthesewerenotring‐

fenced(McGowan,WattsandAndrews,2009).Therewaslargevariationregionallyin

responsetothismove,withlocalauthoritieseithertakingprovisionin‐house,

continuingtofundaConnexionsService,orcontractingouttootherproviders.Thisled

toequallyvariableresultsintermsoffundingofIAGservices,andstandardsof

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provision.CareersprovisionwhentheCoalitiongovernmentcametopowerin2010

wasthusneithernationallyconsistent,norcoherent.

ChangesundertheCoalitiongovernment:Amixedeconomyofcareersprovision

InthecontextoftheCoalitiongovernment’sfocusonschoolautonomyandamarketised

approachtoeducation,theEducationAct2011handedoverresponsibilityforcareers

workinEnglandfromlocalauthoritiestoschools,comingintoforcefromSeptember

2012.Aslightlyrevisedversionoftheguidanceappearedin2014,andschoolsarenow

requiredtoprovidecareersguidancefromyear8(12‐13yearolds)toyear13(17‐18

yearolds)(DfE,2014a,b).(Localauthoritiesstillcarrytheremittoprovidetargeted

careersguidancetothosewithspecialeducationalneeds,andthosewhoaredisengaged

oratriskofdisengaging).AllfundinghasbeenwithdrawnfromConnexionsand

schoolshavenotbeengivenanyextrafundingforcareersprovision.Thewider

implicationsofthistransferofresponsibility,thenewstatutoryguidanceandthelossof

fundingareextensive.Fromthe1970’suntil2011,careersworkhadbeendeliveredvia

apartnershipbetweenexternalservicesandschools;schoolsarenowsolely

responsibleforthedelivery(Hooleyetal,2014).Mostsocialcommentators,including

theHouseofCommonsEducationCommittee(2013)havebeenhighlycriticalofthe

newarrangements,andinternationalevidencefromNewZealandandtheNetherlands

suggeststhataschool‐basedmodelofcareersguidanceriskssignificantdeteriorationin

provision(Hooleyetal,2012b;Watts,2013).Whilstlittleempiricalresearchhasasyet

beenconductedonthenewarrangements,thatwhichhasbeencarriedoutsuggests

thatcareersprovisionhasdeterioratedfurther(Hooleyetal,2014).

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Itcanbearguedthatthestatutoryandnon‐statutoryguidelinescontinuetoundermine

anddiminishboththecareersprofessionandprofessionalismincareersprovision.

Indeedsomehavearguedthatthecontinueddiminishingofcareersworkasa

professionisanideologicalmoveonthepartoftheCoalitiongovernment,inlinewith

widermovestodiminishprofessionalisminthepublicsector,suchasthecreationof

opportunitiesforteacherstoteachwithoutaqualificationorHEeducation(Hooleyetal,

2014).

Theguidelinesdonotdrawontheworkofqualityassurancebodiesandguidelinessuch

astheCareerDevelopmentInstituteandtheQualityinCareersStandard(Watts,

2014b),ratherthegovernment’seducationalauditingbodyOFSTED,withoutcareers

specialisms,hasbeentaskedwithprovidingqualityassurance(DfE,2014b).Schoolsare

alsoadvisedtorefertotheirownstudentDestinationMeasuresData,publishedbythe

DepartmentforEducation(DfE),toassesshowsuccessfullytheirpupilsmake

transitionsintothenextstageofeducationortraining,orintoemployment(DfE,

2014b:6),althoughasWatts(2014b)pointsout,thisdataonlyrecordsinitial

destinationsofstudents,notwhetherthedestinationwassuitableandmatchedtheir

interests,asagoodcareersprogrammewould.

Moreover,theworkofcareersprofessionalsisvirtuallyunmentionedintheguidelines

(Watts,2014aandb).Indeed,schoolsarenotrequiredtoemployqualifiedcareers

advisors,oruseonlymatrixaccreditedorganisations(Andrews,2013:1),although

thereisevidencetosuggestthatlessthanathirdofschoolcareerscoordinatorshave

formalqualificationsincareerswork,andthatthispercentageisdecreasing(McCrone

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etal,2009:11).Althoughschoolsarerequiredtoprovide‘impartial’guidance,‘defined

asshowingnobiasorfavouritismtowardsaparticulareducationorworkoption’(DfE,

2014b:7),asWatts(2014b)argues,itseemsthatwhatisbeingreferredtobyimpartial

isnot‘accesstoasingleimpartialsource’,butrathera‘rangeofpartialsources’(p.3).

Thustheguidancesuggeststhatschoolscanfulfilthisdutybyprovidingaccesstoa

rangeofemployersorrepresentativesfromdifferentfurtherorhighereducation

institutions,ratherthanaccesstoanexternal,professionalcareersadvisor.Moreover,

otherresearchshowsschool‐basedsystemsinevitablylackimpartiality(Watts,2013:

447).Forexample,schoolsthathavetheirownsixthformsmaybeunlikelytobeableto

provideimpartialguidanceonwiderpost‐16options,astheyhavefinancialincentives

tocompeteforstudentsagainstotherlocalinstitutions.Thereisalsoarequirementfor

schoolstoprovide‘independent’careersguidance‘definedasexternaltotheschool’

(DfE,2014b:7).Onlythenon‐statutoryguidelinesmentionthatthis‘shouldincludeface‐

to‐facesupportwhereneeded’(DfE,2014a:20),thereforethiscouldpotentiallybe

interpretedsimplyasaccesstoawebsiteortelephonehelpline,andevenifface‐to‐face

guidanceisprovided,thereisnomentionthatthisshouldbewithaqualifiedor

professionalcareersadvisor.

Ratherthantheprovisionofexpertcareerswork,theguidelinesfocusonemployer

engagementinschools(DfE,2014b).Thisisdespiteinternationalevidencesuggesting

thatschool‐basedguidancesystemstendtohaveweaklinkstothelabourmarket

(Watts,2013:447;Bimroseetal,2014),andthatEducationBusinessPartnerships,

whichprovideabridgingservicebetweenschoolsandbusinessandindustry,havehad

theirfundingcutbymanycouncils(Hughesetal,2014a).Inaddition,whilstshiftingthe

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responsibilityforcareersguidancetoschools,thepreviousstatutoryrequirementof

schoolstoprovidecareerseducationandwork‐relatedlearninghavedisappeared

altogether,disregardingthewealthofevidencewhichshowsthatcareersworkismost

effectiveaspartofacoherentprogrammeofcurriculum‐integratedcareerseducation

(seee.g.Watts,2014b).

Lastly,asschoolshavenotbeenprovidedwithfundingtofulfilthisnewduty,itis

unclearwhatresourcestheywillallocate(Hooley&Watts,2011:ii),particularlyasthis

shiftsevenmoreworktoalreadybusyschools(Hooleyetal,2012b:28).Thequalityof

CEIAGreceivedbyyoungpeoplenowdependsonschoolsratherthanspecialised

services(Hooleyetal,2012b:28),andasWatts(2013:447)pointsout,schoolstendto

vieweducationalchoicesasendsinthemselvesratherthanasthecareerchoicesthey

actuallyare.

Anew,government‐fundedNationalCareersService(NCS)hasbeensetuptoprovide

guidance,however,youngpeopleonlyhaveaccesstotelephoneandonlineservices,

withface‐to‐faceguidancereservedforadults(Hooley&Watts,2011).Inarecent

review,Ofsted(2013)reportedthatmostteachersandstudentsfoundthewebsitetobe

tooadult‐focusedtobeuseful.ResearchconductedinScotlandontheimpactofthetwo

maincareerwebsitesinScotlandonpupils’careermanagementskillsfoundthatthese

websiteshadlittleornoimpactamongthosewhousedthem(Howieson&Semple,

2013:287).TheremitoftheNCShasrecently(October2014)beenexpandedtoinclude

abrokeragerolebetweenschoolsandemployers,however,thisroleremainsasyet

relativelyundeveloped(Bimroseetal,2014).InDecember2014itwasannouncedthat

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thegovernmentwascreatinganewcareersandenterprisecompany,alsoinorderto

provideabrokerageservicebetweenemployersandschools,andto‘ensureemployers

aresupportingyoungpeoplewithdecision‐makingandcareerdevelopmentatevery

stageofschoollife’(DfE,2014c).Againhowever,thereisnomentionofprofessional

guidance,anditisassumedthatemployerswillbeabletoprovideyoungpeoplewith

theinformationaboutroutesintoeducation,trainingandwork.

LocalauthoritieshaverespondedtothisshiftinresponsibilityforCEIAGinanumberof

ways.Themajorityhavereducedtheirfundingfor,andthenumberofstaffin,youthand

careersupportsincetheelectionoftheCoalitionGovernment.Aboutathirdhave

remainedinvolvedinthedeliveryofcareersupport(Langleyetal,2014:v).Amarketin

careersworkisopeningup,withcompetitionbetweenmultipleexternalprovidersand

products,andmanynewcomers(Bimrose,Hughes,&Barnes,2011;Hooleyetal,2012b;

Hughes,2013b:229).Initialobservationsindicatethatthefactthattherearesomany

providersinthefieldiscreatingmuchconfusion(Hughes,2013b:230).Thereisnoway

forschoolstocheckwhatkindofserviceisoffered,norstaffqualifications,asituation

whichcanequallybesaidtobethreateningtheprofessionalismofcareersprovision

(Hughes,2014a).Schoolsarerespondingwithanumberofmodels,including

commissioningfromaprivateprovider,fromthelocalauthority,fromalocalcollege,or

arrangingforamemberofstafftoprovideprovisionin‐house(LondonCouncils,

2013:14),orindeed,acombinationofthese.

Thisstudy

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Thispaperreportsona10‐monthstudyconductedintwoschoolsindifferentboroughs

inEastLondonintheschoolyear2013‐14.Themainaimwastodevelopandtestways

ofenhancingschool‐basedCEIAGforpre‐GCSEpupils,tosupporttheschoolsin

addressingthenewstatutoryrequirements.Wefocussedonyears7‐9asevidence

showscareersworkismorebeneficialtheearlieritbegins(e.g.Morganetal,2007).

EastLondonwasconsideredtobeaparticularlyinterestingregiontoconductsuch

research.YoungpeoplegrowingupinLondonfaceauniquesituationwithimplications

fordeliveringcareerswork(LondonCouncils,2013),perhapsparticularlyEastLondon.

Despiteanationaleconomicdownturn,urbanregenerationisprovidingimproved

opportunitiesinsomepartsofthecountry;andthisincludesEastLondon.Forexample,

itispredictedthatthousandsofnewjobswillbecreatedintheQueenElizabeth

OlympicPark.Thewebsitestates,‘[i]ntotalmorethan20,000jobscouldbecreatedby

theParkby2030,includingspin‐offsinthelocaleconomy’(MayorofLondon,2013).

Londonasawholehasmoreoptionsandopportunitiesinworkandtrainingthanthe

restofthecountry(LondonCouncils,2013). However,Londonhasthehighestyouth

unemploymentinthecountry,20.7%notcountingstudentsinfulltimeeducation

(LondonCouncils2013)andunemploymentratesinBakingandDagenham(9.5%)

Newham(9.5%),TowerHamlets(8.5%),WalthamForest(8.2%)(TrustforLondon,

2014)areamongthehighestinthecountry.Londonalsohasaninternational

workforcewithanolderageprofilemeaningthelabourmarketisextremely

competitive(LondonCouncils,2013). 

Theprojectaimswereasfollows,to:

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mapthecurrentCEIAGinfrastructureforyoungpeopleintwocasestudy

schools;

raiseawarenessinthetwoschoolsoftheimportanceofeffectiveCEAIG;

pilotmodelsofschool‐basedCEIAGforyears7‐9toprovidecontexttoyoung

people’stransitionsandbroadenyoungpeople’saspirationalhorizons.

Thiswasthereforeatraditionalactionresearchproject(Somekh,2006)inthreestages:

Atstage1,CEIAGprovisionforthetwocaseschoolswasmappedandgaps

identified.Ineachschool,theresearchersworkedwiththeheadteacher,school

careerscoordinator,selectedsubjectteachers,localcareersadvisors,selected

youngpeople,andlocalemployers’networkstodeveloppotentialalternative

CEIAGmodelstoaddressgaps,whichbuildonandenhancecurrentpractice.

Atstage2wetestedsomepreferredmodelsthroughdeliveryinthecaseschools.

Atstage3weevaluatedthesuccessofthedifferentmodelsthroughinterviews

andfocusgroupswithstaffandpupils.

Asamplegroupofyoungpeoplefromeachschoolwastrackedthroughouttheprojectto

recordexperiencesandperceptionsofCEIAG.Therewereeightparticipantsineachof

years7‐9.Wefocussedonthemiddle‐attainmentgroup,asstudieshighlightthe

particulardifficultiesofthemiddle‐attainmentgroup,asoneofthegroupsmostinneed

ofCEIAGbecauseofthepotentiallywiderangeofacademicandvocationaloptionsopen

tothem,butleastlikelytoreceiveadequatesupport(Colleyetal,2010)and

‘”overlooked”bypolicy’(Hodgson&Spours,2014).Youngpeoplewereselected

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accordingtotheirpredictedGCSEgrades;middle‐attainerswereconsideredthoselikely

togain4‐7GCSE’s(A*‐C).Throughout,qualitativedatawasgatheredthrough

observations(attendingeventssuchasassembliesandoptionsevenings),andformal

datawassupplementedbydatagatheredatinformalconversationswithstaffand

pupils.Alldatahasbeenanonymised.Theschoolswereexplicitlyencouragedtotake

ownershipofthestrategyandoutcomesinordertoworktowardssustainableschool‐

basedCEIAGoncetheprojectfinished.

Severalschoolswerecontactedthroughthelocalauthorityandinvitedtotakepartin

thestudy;thetwoschoolsselectedwerethefirsttovolunteer.

School1isasingle‐sexgirls’schoolwithasixthforminanareaofhighdeprivationwith

ahighproportionofpupilseligibleforfreeschoolmeals.

School 2 is a mixed, 11‐16 school in a deprived area with a large number of pupils

eligibleforfreeschoolmeals.

Analysis

CareersprovisionattheschoolshasbeenanalysedfollowingHooleyetal(2014:5),who

identifyfourcategories:

Infrastructure:includingleadership;coordinationanddeliverystaff;systematic

record‐keeping.

Programmes:astructuredcareereducationprogrammefromYear7or8.

Stakeholders:opportunitiestoengagewithemployersandpost‐secondary

learningproviders.

Individual:anentitlementtoseeacareersadviserandarangeofinformalcareer

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conversations.

WealsodrewontherecommendationsoftherecentlypublishedGatsbyReport(2014)

ongoodcareersguidance,whichtheauthorsargueshouldinclude:

Astablecareersprogamme;

Learningfromcareerandlabourmarketinformation;

Addressingtheneedsofeachpupil;

Linkingcurriculumlearningtocareers;

Encounterswithemployersandemployees;

Experiencesofworkplaces;

Encounterswithfurtherandhighereducation;

Personalguidance.

Findings

Stage1

Infrastructure

AtSchool1,CEIAGwascoordinatedbyamemberoftheseniorleadershipteam,who

directlysupportedandmonitoredafull‐timecareerscoordinator.Careerswas

regardedasapriorityand‘anewagendatowidenhorizonsandcreateaspirations’

(AssistantHead,School1)hadbeenintroducedthepreviousacademicyear.AtSchool2

however,CEIAGwasofficiallyledbyamemberoftheseniorleadershipteam,however,

CEIAGwasnotregardedasapriority,andthecareerscoordinatorhadlittlesupport.

SeniorstaffareawareoftheirdutytoprovideimpartialCG,however,theyhaveno

ideahowtogoaboutitinpractice.(CareersCoordinator,School2)

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Bothschoolshademployednewcareerscoordinatorswithinmonthsoftheproject

starting.School1employedafull‐timecareerscoordinatorwhowasaformercareers

adviser,andhadformalcareerstraining.AtSchool2,thecareerscoordinatorhadno

formalcareerstraining.Shewasemployedonapart‐timebasisandwasamemberof

thesupportstaff,withcorrespondinglylowstanding.

Teachershowever,wereingeneralnotyetonboardwiththecareersagendaineither

school.TherewaslittleawarenessamongteachersineitherschoolthatCEIAGhas

movedintoschools.AlthoughsomeindividualteacherswerekeentoenhanceCEIAG,

somefeltthatcareersworksimplyaddstoanunrealisticallylonglistforteachers.

Teachershavetoomuchtodo,thelistofwhatwehavetodoisconstantlybeing

addedtoandwecan’tsqueezeinsomethingextra(CreativeArtsteacher,School2)

There’snotimetofocusoncareers.There’stoomuchaccountabilityandfocuson

exams(PerformingArtsteacherSchool1)

Mostteachersintervieweddidnotseecareersasapotentiallyjoined‐upeffortacrossall

subjects,andsomedidnotseeitassomethingtheycouldcontributeto.Wider

employabilityskillswerenotexplicitlyrecognisedassuchbysome.

Inneitherschoolhadcentralisedrecordsbeenkeptonpupildestinations,aspirations

andguidance.Schooldatainbothschoolshadbeenkeptinvariousdifferentplaces,and

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notusedtoinformtheCEIAGprogramme.InSchool2,whichisan11‐16school,itwas

particularlydifficulttogatherdestinationdata.Arrangementswereinplacewithtwo

localcolleges,butthisonlycoveredabout50%ofschoolleavers.

Idon’tknowwhethercentralisedrecordsarekept,andIdon’tcheckthem.There’s

nomonitoringofthis(Headteacher,School2)

Programmes

Inbothschoolsexplicitcareersworkfocussedonyear11,withsomeworkinyear10,

andthesixthforminSchool2.Despitethefactschoolsarerequiredtoprovidecareers

guidanceforallpupilsfromyear8,therewaslittleprovisionforyoungerpupilsin

eitherschool,exceptfor‘options’eventsforyear9,(tohelppupilschooseoptional

subjectsfortheircompulsoryGCSEexams).Somestaffwerealreadydoingrelevantand

effectivecareers‐relatedworkintheirownindividuallessons;however,thiswaslargely

uncoordinatedandingenerallinkswerenotmadebetweencurriculumsubjectsand

potentialcareers/futureopportunitiesforyears7‐9.

Inrelationtocareersguidanceweatpresentprovideverylittle(Humanities

teacher,School1)

Morecouldbedoneforcareers.Atthemomentit’sdoneindividuallybutit’snot

formalised.Kidslearnaboutcareerswithoutknowingthey’relearningabout

careers.(Mathsteacher,School2)

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Careershappensincidentallyorbyaccidentifithappensatall.(CreativeArts

teacher,School2)

Foryear11’sinbothschools,careersworkinvolved1‐1guidanceinterviews,work

experienceplacementsandone‐offvisitstocareerfairsanduniversitiesforsmall

groups.Year7‐9pupilsreportedthattheycouldrememberhavingdonenone,orvery

little,careers‐relatedworkatsecondaryschool.Thismaymeanthatlittlehadbeen

done,butitmayalsomeanthatwashadbeendonewasnotmadememorableor

connectedexplicitlywithfuturecareers.Interviewsatthestartoftheprojectsuggested

therewaslimitedawarenessaroundroutesintoparticularprofessionsandlinks

betweensubjectsandcareers.

Bothschoolsheldspecificoptionseventsforyear9’sannually.However,thesealsodid

notprovidepupilswithmuchcareersadviceandinformation.School1heldanoptions

eveningforstudentsandtheirparentsearlyintheyear,withanintroductionbythe

headteacherandopenclassroomswheredifferentsubjectteacherscouldbe

approachedandmaterialsexamined.However,mostsubjectmaterialavailablewas

relatedtotheGCSEcourseitself,withlittleinformationonfuturetrajectories,studyand

trainingroutes,potentialcareersortransferableskills.School2heldaseriesof

assembliesrunbydifferentdepartmentstointroducethedifferentGCSEsubjects.

However,thesewerenothelduntilshortlybeforestudentshadtochoosetheiroptions,

leavingstudentslittletimeforconsideration,andfewpresentersmadespecificlinks

withrelatedstudyroutesandcareers,relatingtheirpresentationsonlytotheGCSE

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courseitselfratherthanmakingtheconnectionsbetweeneducationaldecisionsand

futurecareers.

Careersandaspirationsisdonebyformtutors,notus.(Englishteacher,School1)

Whenaskedabouttheirknowledgeoflocalindustry,andtheLondonlabourmarket,

bothseniorstaffandteacherssaidtheywouldnotbeconfidenttorefertothelocalor

nationalsituationintheirteaching,andtheirknowledgewasquitelimited.

Therewasalsoalackofimpartialityregardingthecareersinformationtowhichpupils

hadaccess.Year9pupilsreportedthatratherthanaskingthemwhattheyaspiredto,

teacherstriedtoencouragethemtopicktheirownsubjectforGCSE.

MyscienceteachertoldmetotaketriplesciencebecauseI’mgoodatit,butshe

doesn’tknowIwanttobealawyer.Nootherteachershavereallytalkedaboutit.

(Year9pupil,School2)

Neitherschoolprovidedvocationaloptionsasanalternativetothemoreacademic

studyrouteofGCSE’s.Initially,neitherdidtheyprovidestudentswithinformationon

localapprenticeshipproviders,preferringtofocusonmoreacademicroutes.Pupilfocus

groupsatthestartoftheprojectsuggestedthatvirtuallynopupilknewwhatan

apprenticeshipwas,includingyear9’s.

Stakeholders

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Bothschoolshadsomelinkswithlocalemployersthroughtheyear11workexperience

placements,althoughthesecomprisedmostlyofretailplacements.Besidesthese,

School2atthestartoftheprojecthadnolinkswithemployersatall,andSchool1had

limitedlinks.School1hadjuststartedtwonewmentoringprogrammeswithsuitability

foryoungerpupils,onewithaninternationallawfirm(years8‐13)andonewithan

auditingfirm(years9‐13).Itwastooearlyforustoevaluatetheseprogrammes,

however,stafffeltconcernedthattheyonlybenefittedalimitednumberofpupils(one

ortwoperyeargroup),andwerekeentofindotheroptionswhichcouldbeofbenefitto

alargernumberofstudents.

Individual

Neitherschoolprovidedindividualguidanceinterviewstoallstudents.School1was

gettinginterviewsforchildrenconsidered‘atrisk’andthosewithSENfromthelocal

authority,however,theyweresupplementingthisservicebybuyinginguidance

interviewsfortheotherpupilsfromaprivateprovider,whotheyconsideredmore

flexiblethanthelocalauthorityprovider.Guidanceinterviewswerethereforeonly

providedforyear11.

[Thelocalauthorityservice]focusestoomuchontheatriskandSENgroups.This

currentyearhowevertheyhavenotbeenveryproactiveandoutof33casesthey

haveonlyseen8sofar.Additionallyeventhoughtheyshouldbelookingatyear10

‘vulnerablestudents’theyaren’tdoingthisatthemoment.Infact,theywon’tsee

anyoneatalluntileverysingleSENandatriskchildrenhavebeenseen.Thisisa

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massiveproblembecausethesearethechildrenwhoaremostlikelytobeabsent.

(CareersCoordinator,School1)

School2wasbuyinginone‐to‐oneguidanceinterviewsforallofyear11,andforsome

year10’sfromthelocalauthority.Overallpupilsreportedthatveryfewteachersat

secondaryschoolhadaskedtheminformallywhattheywantedtodointhefuture.

MyformtutorsaidifIworkedhardI’dachievemydreams.Butshedoesn’tknow

whatmydreamsare.(Year8pupil,School2)

 

Enhancingcareerswork:stages2and3

Intheschoolyear2013‐14,theschoolsworkedtowardsenhancingtheircareerswork

inparticularforyears7‐9.Thefocuswasmainlyincareersinfrastructure,and

engagementwithemployersandbusinesses.

Infrastructure

TheenhancementsworkedbestinSchool1duetothesupportiveleadership,the

prioritisationofcareersfortheschoolasawhole,andtheappointmentofaqualified,

full‐timecareerscoordinator.School1continuedtofocusongettinghighlevelsofGCSE

resultsA*‐C,accordingtowhichschoolsarerankedingovernmentleaguetables,

suggestingthattheconnectionbetweeneducationaldecisionsandcareerdecisionswas

notbeingmadebytheschoolleadership,aspredictedbyWatts(2013).Althoughbythe

endoftheproject,thecaseforawholeschoolCEIAGstrategywaspresentedbythe

20 

 

careerscoordinatortoSLT,whoagreedinprinciple,therehadbeenlittleactual

movementinthatdirection.

ACEIAGstaffworkinggroupwassetupatSchool1atthestartoftheprojecttohelp

progresstheCEIAGagenda.Thisgroupstartedtoraiseawarenessandenthusiasm

amongotherstafftosupportinitiatives,supportthecareerscoordinatortoorganise

events,andsupporttheteachingstafftolinkcurriculumsubjectstocareers.

TeachersaregettingmoreinvolvedinCEIAGthantheywouldotherwise.(Careers

CoordinatorSchool1)

School2wasunabletosetupastaffworkinggroupduetolackofsupportfromthe

seniorleadershipteam.However,havingobservedthesuccessofthisgroupatSchool1,

School2didsetupastudentcareersworkinggroupaspartoftheexistingstudentvoice

group,inorderforthecareerscoordinatortogainstudentfeedbackonCEIAG.

TheAssistantHeadatSchool1startedtoworkoncollectingandstoringcareers‐related

datainasystematicway,

Goingforwardalldatawhichrelatestocareersandwork‐relatedlearningwillbe

collectedinastreamlinedway(AssistantHead,School1)

AlthoughtheCareersCoordinatorpushedforthisatSchool2,itwasnotsupportedby

SLT,whodidnotregarditasnecessary.

21 

 

 

Programmes

Neitherschoolhadastructured,comprehensivecareersprogramme,integratedintothe

curriculumandschoolyear,withteachingstaffawareandmakingjoined‐up

contributions.CPDsessionsinCEIAGfortheteachingstaffwereplannedatbothschools

tobegintoworktowardsthis.Unfortunately,dueagaintoalackofleadershipand

supportatSchool1,thesessionwasrepeatedlypostponedandnevertookplace.

Wedon’thaveaproblemwithcareers.Idon’tseetheneedformajornew

initiatives.(Headteacher,School2)

However,asessionwasputoninSchool1,ledbytheAssistantHeadandthecareers

coordinator.Fifteenstaffmembersattendedandthesessionwasusedtoraise

awarenessofCEIAGandstatutoryguidance;updatestaffontheworkatschool;inspire

themtosupporttheCEIAGagenda;givethemtheopportunitytocommunicateabout

whattheydoalready,tocreateamorestructuredandholisticapproach;supportthem

tointegratecareersworkintotheirsubjectareas;andgaininputontheCEIAGagenda.

TheregularCPDtimeslotavailablewasusedforthissession,however,thisactually

meantattendancewasoptionalasitwaspittedagainstotherCPDsessionswith

differentfoci.Itdidhowever,haveanimpactonsomeofthoseattended:

AftertheCPDsessionI’veseensomechangeinsomestaff.(CareersCoordinator,

School2).

22 

 

Stakeholders

Theschoolstrieddifferentwaystoincreaseandimproverelationshipswithlocal

employersandbusinesses.School2putona‘CareersinHumanitiesday’foryear7,run

bytheschoolstaffthemselves.Thepupilsinterviewedvisitingvolunteersfromdifferent

professions,whichfallbroadlyintothecategoryofHumanities,ontheirdifferent

careerstogainanunderstandingofthejob,thequalificationsneeded,andthepathways

intothejob.Thevolunteerswerefoundthroughstaffcontactsandtherewasno

financialcosttotheschool.However,theorganisationofawholedayoff‐timetabletook

alotofresourcesintermsofstafftime.Italsorequiredthesupportofseveralmembers

ofstaffonthedayitself,someofwhomwerereluctant.However,manyofthepupils

enjoyeditandfeltthatithadstartedtobroadentheiraspirationalhorizons,

...itwasgood,IlikedtheArtonecosIthoughtifyouwantedtodoArtyouhadtobe

anartteacherandteachkidshowtodrawbutthere’smorestufftodolike

illustrator,graphicdesignersoyoucanseethere’ssomanyjobsinthatsubject.

(Year8pupil,School2)

 

Bothschoolsalsoputonsomeone‐offcareers‐relatedeventswiththesupportof

externalproviders,includinglocaleducationprovidersandnon‐specialistcompanies

whichoffereducationalactivities.TheyincludedalocalEducationBusinessPartnership,

aninternationalbank,anationalSTEMeducationalorganisation,alocaltheatreanda

localcreativeartsorganisation.Ontheonehandthiswasagoodoptionbecauseit

savedontheschools’ownresourcesintermsofstafforganisingtime.Thisalsoproved

aneffectivewayofprovidingpupilswithinformationaboutvocationalqualifications

23 

 

andlearningroutes,whichtheirschoolsdidnotexplicitlyprovidethemwith.Onthe

otherhandtherewereanumberofproblems.Theexternalcompaniesvariedalotand

didnotalwaysdeliverwhattheypromised,suchassendingfewervolunteersthanhad

beenagreed.Itwasalsofoundthatsomecompanieshadactuallyoutsourcedtoothers,

whichcausedfurthermisunderstandings.Moreover,despiteprioragreements,the

inputwasnotalwaysexplicitlycareers‐relatedanddespitehavingbeenmarketedas

suitableforyears7‐8,somematerialswerepitchedtoohigh.However,thefeedback

fromstudentfocusgroupssuggestedtheirhorizonshadbeenbroadenedbythe

sessions:

Itwasreallyusefulbecausepeoplefromdifferentjobscameandfromthatwecould

decideouroptionsanditcouldhelpusinourlife(year9pupil,School1)

Ilikeditcoswelearneddifferentthings,I’dneverdoneengineeringbeforeatallso

Ilearntthatyoucandoengineeringwithanythingevenscrapstuff,youcanmake

itandplandesign.(year7pupil,School2)

Somepupilsalsosaidtheirconfidenceincreasedwithregardstocareersdecisions:

...ifsomebodyasksyouwhatyouwanttodo,ifyoudon’ttellthemwithconfidence

thatmeansyoudon’treallywanttodoit,sothatmademethinkaswellthatIneed

tomakesurethatI’m100%surethatIdowhatIwanttodoandifanyoneasksme

IneedtoholdmyhandupstraightandsayyeahthisiswhatIwannadoevenif

anyonelaughsatme.(year9pupil,School1)

24 

 

 

Bothschoolstooktheirpupilsonatleastonecareersrelatedtriptoallowpupilsto

experiencedifferentindustriesandworkplaces.However,withsuchtripstoo,provision

variesconsiderably,asdoessuitabilityforyoungerstudentsandcost.Moreover,some

tripsareonlyavailabletoasmall,selectgroupratherthanthewholecohort.

IwenttoKPMGatCanaryWharf,theyweretalkingabouthowyoucangetin

withoutgoingtouni.Mostlythesetripsareorganisedforgiftedandtalented

studentsthough.SomepeoplehavebeentoCambridgeUniversityandontripsto

theatres,butfortheseyouhavetopaysoonlysomepeoplego(Year8pupil,School

1)

ItwasremarkablethatinEastLondon,severalcareerseventsareputonwhichfocuson

STEMsubjectsandindustries,andveryfewwhichfocusontheArtsandHumanities.

Individual

Intheseschools,universalcareersguidanceinterviewswerenotprovidedforfinancial

reasons.Asdiscussedabove,School2wasprovidingabetterservicethanSchool1in

thisrespectbecauseofthebetterserviceprovidedbytheLA.ParticularlyinSchool1,

thefocuson‘atrisk’studentsattheexpenseofauniversalservice,asinitiatedby

Connexions,continued.

Discussionandconclusion

25 

 

Despitetheresponsibilityforcareersworkhavingshiftedtoschoolsin2012,thesetwo

schoolswerestillsomewhatunpreparedfortheirnewresponsibilitywhenwestarted

theprojectinOctober2013.Despitethis,wefoundthereisagreatdealthatschoolscan

dointernallytoenhancetheschoolCEIAGprogramme.Thesuccessoftheenhanced

programme,eveninSchool2wherelesswasachieved,suggeststhatyears7‐9arenot

tooyoungtobenefitfromcareerseducation.

However,thestudyalsoseemstoconfirmthattheshiftingofCEIAGtoschoolsandthe

withdrawaloffundingfromcareersworkisindeedcontributingtoaprocessof

deteriorationofcareersprovisioninEngland,theunderminingofthecareersprofession

andthediminishingofprofessionalismincareersprovision.Inthisstudy,themost

importantfactorforsuccessfulschool‐basedcareersworkwaseffectiveandsupportive

leadership.Schoolshavemanycompetingpriorities,andcareersprovisionhasnow

simplybecomeoneofthese.Whilstthereisnorequirementorclearincentivefor

schoolstomakeCEIAGastrategicpriority,supportiveleadershipfromthesenior

leadershipteammadethedifferenceinthisstudyatleast.ThedecisiontakenbySchool

1toemployafull‐time,qualifiedcareerscoordinatorwithahighstatusintheschool

alsocontributedtothequalityofprovisionmadeavailableandtheeffectivefunctioning

ofastaffworkinggroup.

Asothershavealsoargued(e.g.Hooleyetal,2012b;HouseofCommonsEducation

Committee,2013),schoolslackthespecialistcareersknowledgeandexpertiseto

provideastructuredcareersprogramme,orworktowardsthekitemark,Qualityin

CareersStandard,createdbyCareersEngland.Althoughresearchshowsthatcareers

26 

 

learningworksbestwhenitisfullyintegratedintotheexistingcurriculum(London

Councils,2013;Hooleyetal,2012b)andactivitiesarejoinedup,thisdidnothappenin

eitherprojectschool,despiteanawarenessinSchool1thatthiswasdesirable.LMIwas

neitheravailable,norusedtoinformstrategynoractivitiesineitherschoolinourstudy.

School1,whichtrialledCPDinCEIAGforteacherswasnotpreparedtomakethesession

compulsory,somanyteachersmissedout.ItseemsclearthatalittleCPDforteachers

cannotbearealsubstitutefortheservicesofaprofessionalcareerseducator.One

sessionofCPDwasnotnearlyenoughtoequipteacherswiththetoolsandexpertiseto

integratecareerslearninginthecurriculum,andthecareersactivitiestheydidtry

remainedstand‐alone.TheHouseofCommonsEducationCommittee(2013)has

recommendedanexpansionoftheNationalCareersService’sremittoincludea

capacity‐buildingandbrokerageroleforschools,[…]whichwouldincludeassisting

schoolsindesigningtheirannualcareersplan,thedisseminationoflocallabourmarket

informationandthepromotionofqualitystandards(p.8).Itremainstobeseenhowfar

thiswillcometofruition.

Moreover,aswasthecaseparticularlyinSchool2,schoolswillcontinuetofocusonthe

A*‐CGCSErouteasthegoldstandard,duetothegovernment’scontinuedemphasison

academicqualificationsandGCSEattainment.Theseschoolshadnoincentiveto

provideimpartialadviceondifferentlearningroutes,especiallyvocationalroutes,nor

didtheyfullygraspthateducationaldecisionshaveadirectimpactoncareersdecisions,

andeveninSchool1,theinformationgiventoyear9pupilsatthe‘Options’eventswas

notwideranging,nordiditconnectsubjectswithpotentialcareers.

27 

 

Ourstudysuggestedthatthefocusonengagementwithemployersandbusinessesto

helpwithcareersdecision‐making,attheexpenseofprofessionalcareersprovision,

continuestoundermineprovision.Firstly,theschoolsinourstudyhadfew,ifany,

existingrelationshipswithemployersandbusinesses.Ofsted(2013)similarlyfound

thatschoolsdonotengagewithemployerseffectively,ifatall,includingnotusinglocal

employerorenterprisepartnerships.Althoughsomecompaniesandeducational

organisationsruneventstosupportschoolstoprovidelinksandexperiencesforpupils,

aswehaveshown,thisengagementcanbefraughtwithpotentialpitfallsforschools.

Simplysuggestingthatschoolsdeveloprelationshipswithlocalemployers,asthe

governmenthasdone,havingcutfundingtothecareersprofessionwhichwould

previouslyhaveprovidedthisasaservice,isnotgoingtofillthisgap.Theteachers

themselvesdidnothavetheexperience,existingrelationshipsortimetoprovidethis

service.TheNationalCareersCouncilhasproposedanemployer‐ledadvisoryboard,

comprisingrepresentativesfromemployers,educationandthecareerdevelopment

profession(Andrews,2013).Moreover,employers,whilstperhapswellabletoprovide

insightsintotheirownfields,areunlikelytobeabletoprovideup‐to‐dateinformation

aboutdifferenttrainingroutesandotherfields,andthuscannotbeasubstitutefor

professionaladvisers.

Acknowledgements

ThisprojectwasfundedbyagrantfromtheGreaterLondonAuthority(2013‐14).

ThankstoJohnLock,VickyClark,CaseyEdmonds,HelenColley,DavidAndrews,and

KaoriKitagawafortheirsupportwiththeproject.

28 

 

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