Career Strategy and Ofsted

“Providing an effective careers programme that offers advice, experience and contact with employers to encourage pupils to aspire, make good choices and understand what they need to do to reach and succeed in the career to which they aspire – supporting readiness for the next phase of education, training or employment so that pupils are equipped to make the transition to the next stage successfully.”

The new Framework also identifies the importance of the impact of learning.

“The curriculum and the school’s wider work support pupils to develop resilience, confidence and independence and lead a healthy and active lifestyle, helping them to know how to keep physically and mentally healthy.”

“Secondary schools prepare pupils for future success in education, employment or training by providing: unbiased information to all about potential next steps and high-quality careers guidance and opportunities for encounters with the world of work.”

“Learning must build towards a goal. At each stage of pupils’ education, they are being prepared for the next stage of education, training or employment. Inspectors will consider whether pupils are ready for the next stage by the point they leave the school or provision that they attend. Inspectors will also consider whether pupils at ages 16 and 18 are ready for the next stage and are going to appropriate, high-quality destinations.”

“Pupils are ready for the next stage of education, employment or training. They have the knowledge and skills they need and, where relevant, they gain qualifications that allow them to go on to destinations that meet their interests and aspirations and the intention of their course of study. Pupils with SEND achieve the best possible outcomes.”

The new Framework identifies the importance of curriculum planning and development.

“Leaders adopt or construct a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to give all pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and including pupils with SEND, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. This is either the national curriculum or a curriculum of comparable breadth and ambition.

The school’s curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment.”

“The extent to which leaders’ and managers’ high ambitions are for all pupils, including those who are harder to reach. This includes ensuring that practices such as ‘off-rolling’ do not take place and that the way the school uses the pupil premium is founded on good evidence – whether leaders and those responsible for governance all understand their respective roles and perform these in a way that enhances the effectiveness of the school.”

“How high-quality impartial careers guidance enables all young people to make progress and move on to a higher level of qualification, employment or further training when they are ready to do so. Students’ conduct and attitudes, including in non-qualification or enrichment activities and/or work experience, prepare them for employment or progress to higher levels of study.”