Careers education and guidance
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Head teachers and governing bodies of all maintained schools (including special schools and pupil referral units) must ensure that their school provides programmes of careers education to all pupils in Years 9 to 11. (Note. This duty will be extended to Years 7 & 8 from September 2004) They must work with the Connexions Service to ensure that pupils have access to comprehensive and up-to-date careers information materials and guidance and ensure that access is provided to the Connexions Service to enable them to provide services to schools and pupils to fulfil their contracted duties on behalf of the Secretary of State.
Head teachers must work with Connexions to ensure that pupils have access to guidance materials and a wide range of up-to-date reference materials relating to careers education and careers opportunities. Where possible, this information should be provided in a dedicated Connexions resource centre/library with computer based resources; where this is not possible, a school should work with their local Connexions to provide the next best form of provision which satisfies pupils information needs. Access should be provided for all secondary pupils.
The school and Connexions should jointly review the effectiveness of current careers information provision in meeting their pupils needs, including information on post-16 education and training options. Advice and support (including resources) for the Connexions resource centre/library should form part of an annual Partnership Agreement between the school and the Connexions service.
Information for Connexions
Schools must provide the local Connexions Service with a copy of their prospectus (containing information about the achievements and destinations of pupils who have completed their studies that year) to assist them in their work with young people (especially with Year 10 and 11 pupils).
Connexions Personal advisers or other relevant staff of the local provider of careers services shall be provided, on request, with the name and address of every relevant pupil in the institution, and any information held by the school about a pupil which the personal adviser needs in order to provide the pupil with advice and guidance on decisions about careers or with other information relevant to such decisions. However, the requirement to release the pupil's name and home address is subject to veto by the parent or guardian of the pupil (if under 16) or the pupil (if 16 or older) if they have indicated that any information should not be provided.
Careers education and guidance national non-statutory framework
A new non-statutory framework for careers education and guidance in England was issued in March 2003. The framework draws on existing good practice and provides recommended learning outcomes and exemplar content for Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and post -16 learning. It also provides suggestions on how careers education programmes can by supported by available career guidance from Connexions and demonstrates how careers education can best link to other personal development aspects of the curriculum such as PSHE and Citizenship. Connexions will work with schools, colleges and work based training providers to review their existing careers education programmes against the framework with a view to delivering a revised programme from September 2003.
Main text
Legislation
Key documents
Further information
