Schools will have to arrange a week of work experience \u201cactivities\u201d for pupils in years 7 to 9 and at least one placement in years 10 to 11 under new careers guidance published by the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leaders have been told to begin \u201cplanning and, where able, reforming their work experience programmes\u201d from September to meet the new duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It marks another reform school leaders will have to implement in the next academic year, alongside any changes from the curriculum review and new Ofsted inspections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Labour committed before the election<\/a> to require two weeks of work experience. Now it has updated statutory guidance<\/a> to set out how it will work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The document states the two weeks should be broken down into one week\u2019s worth of \u201cactivities\u201d in years 7 to 9 and a week\u2019s worth of placement in years 10 to 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Activities in years 7 to 9 should consist of \u201cmultiple, varied and meaningful employer-led activities\u201d, for example, visits involving employer-set tasks, work-shadowing or talks in workplaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Placements in years 10 to 11 should allow pupils to \u201cexperience a real working environment\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But pupils will be able to take their days with more than one employer, and spread their placement time across a number of days or weeks at any point in the two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DfE said it will set out implementation timelines, who is responsible and accountable for delivery, the support available nationally and delivery plans \u201cin due course\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools will also have to follow updated Gatsby benchmarks for good careers guidance from September.<\/a> The Careers and Enterprise Company has also published guidance to help schools.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The previous benchmarks became statutory for schools in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what has changed\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Governors should now \u201cunderstand\u201d and back their school\u2019s careers education programme and guidance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Careers programmes will also need to be \u201ctailored to the needs of pupils, sequenced appropriately, underpinned by learning outcomes and linked to the whole-school development plan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where previous guidance stated pupils should access and use information about career paths \u201cby the age of 14\u201d, the update states this should happen \u201cduring each key stage\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Careers programmes should now seek to \u201cchallenge misconceptions\u201d, and schools will be required to keep systematic records of the \u201cparticipation of pupils in all aspects of their careers programme\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools will also have to use \u201csustained and longer-term destination data as part of their evaluation process and use alumni to support their careers programme\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previous benchmarks stated that \u201cSTEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of their subjects for a wide range of future career paths\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The new benchmarks widen this responsibility out to all subject teachers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The new guidance also states that \u201cevery year, in every subject, every pupil should have opportunities to learn how the knowledge and skills developed in that subject helps people to gain entry to, and be more effective workers within, a wide range of careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCareers should form part of the school\u2019s ongoing staff development programme for teachers and all staff who support pupils.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This states still that \u201cevery year, from the age of 11, pupils should participate in at least one meaningful encounter with an employer.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Gatsby\u2019s guidance for schools has been updated to state that young people \u201cshould encounter employers of different sizes and specialisms, including the self-employed, that reflect trends in the labour market, regionally and nationally\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The updated benchmark also adds pupils\u2019 \u201cown part-time employment where it exists\u201d to the \u201crange of enrichment opportunities\u201d schools can offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The previous benchmark stated that by age 16, pupils should have had \u201cat least one\u201d experience of a workplace, additional to any part-time job. It also stated they should have \u201cone further such experience\u201d by the age of 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new guidance states by age 16, every pupil \u201cshould have had meaningful experiences of workplaces\u201d. By 18, every pupil should have had \u201cat least one further meaningful experience\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The updated benchmarks also include a definition of \u201cmeaningful\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Independent training providers have been added to the list of providers with which pupils should have engaged with by age 16, while \u201capprenticeship providers\u201d have been removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This benchmark has been updated to state that every pupil should have opportunities for guidance \u201cmeetings\u201d, rather than \u201cinterviews\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Information about personal guidance support, and how to access it, should be \u201ccommunicated to pupils and parents and carers\u201d, including through the school website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Statutory guidance update states younger pupils should get a week’s worth of work experience ‘activities’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":229463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"post-theme":[],"class_list":["post-229461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tGovernors must \u2018understand\u2019 careers education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benchmark 1: A stable careers programme<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Give information in \u2018each key stage\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Challenge misconceptions\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benchmark 3: Addressing the needs of each young person<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
All teachers should talk about career paths<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Employers \u2018of different sizes and specialisms\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benchmark 5: Encounters with employers and employees<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
More experiences of workplaces<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benchmark 6: Experiences of workplaces<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Encounters with independent training providers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benchmark 7: Encounters with further and higher education<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Provide \u2018meetings\u2019 and information about support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benchmark 8: Personal guidance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n