Ofsted has updated Section 5 (paras 256-259) of the School Inspection Handbook on CIEAG
All secondary schools are expected to provide effective careers information, education, advice and guidance (CIEAG), in line with the statutory ‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers’, to encourage pupils to make good choices and understand what they need to do to succeed in the careers to which they aspire.
As part of this, it is important that schools understand and meet the requirements of section 42B of the Education Act 1997 (the ‘Baker clause’), which came into force in January 2018. Both maintained schools and academies are required by law to:
provide opportunities for a range of education and training providers to speak to pupils in Years 8 to 13 to inform them about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships
publish a policy statement setting out the arrangements the school has in place for pupils to access education and training providers
make sure the policy statement is followed so that all pupils in Years 8 to 13 receive information about the full range of education and training options
In assessing a secondary school’s personal development offer, inspectors will assess the quality of CIEAG and how well it benefits pupils in choosing and deciding on their next steps. This will include looking at:
the quality of the unbiased careers advice and guidance provided to pupils
the school’s implementation of the provider access arrangements to enable a range of education and training providers to speak to pupils in Years 8 to 13
how the school provides good quality, meaningful opportunities for pupils to encounter the world of work
the school’s use of the Gatsby Benchmarks https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance
the school’s published information about its CIEAG provision (as required by the School Information Regulations) and the school’s statement on its provider access arrangements (as required by section 42B of the Education Act 1997)
If a school is not meeting the requirements of the Baker Clause, inspectors will state this in the inspection report. They will consider what impact this has on the quality of CIEAG and the subsequent judgement for personal development.
Ofsted Guidance-School inspection handbook
This handbook describes the main activities carried out during inspections of maintained schools and academies in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. It sets out the evaluation criteria that inspectors use to make their judgements and on which they report.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-handbook-eif/school-inspection-handbook
