Provider Access Legislation (PAL)
In January 2023 strengthened legislation comes into force that sets out requirements for the number and types of encounters schools must provide to pupils with providers of technical education or apprenticeships.
The Provider Access Legislation - part of the Skills and Post-16 Education Act - specifies schools must provide at least six encounters for all pupils. As a minimum, schools will need to provide:
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘first key phase’ (year 8 or 9) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend. To take place any time during year 8 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 9.
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘second key phase’ (year 10 or 11) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend. To take place any time during year 10 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 11.
- Two encounters for pupils during the ‘third key phase’ (year 12 or 13) that are mandatory for the school to put on, but optional for pupils to attend. To take place any time during year 12 or between 1 September and 28 February during year 13.
- All six encounters must happen for a ‘reasonable period of time’ during the standard school day.
The Careers & Enterprise Company has released key information about Provider Access Legislation, which can be downloaded here.
Nationally, revised Statutory Guidance is expected imminently. North East LEP staff are happy to work with your Careers Leader in reviewing your school’s careers programme and offer advice on meeting the new statutory requirements or you can a find out more information about PAL and how to prepare for the new arrangements through this link.
This strengthening of Provider Access Legislation has implications for schools as well as for the wider North East. Michelle Rainbow, Skills Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, explains how the Provider Access Legislation will be an important mechanism to help learners understand the full range of pathways available to them, and how this increased awareness can support the North East Economy.
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Ofsted Thematic Review of Careers Guidance
The government has asked Ofsted to carry out a thematic review of careers guidance for young people in schools and further education and skills providers, and to make recommendations to improve practice. The review will take place both in mainstream provision and in specialist settings and is expected to be published in Autumn 2023. Its focus will be to:
- Assess the quality of careers guidance in schools and further education and skills providers;
- Inform relevant stakeholders, including policymakers and providers, about the quality of careers education, information, advice and guidance;
- Identify strengths and weaknesses in careers provision in schools and further education and skills providers, and make recommendations to improve practice;
- Help to identify potential developments in the inspection training and guidance, and help share good practice and thinking across the inspectorate.
The full Terms of Reference for the Thematic Review can be found here and we will ensure we update you as the Review takes place and reports.
Research, evidence and insights into the impacts of careers education on students' future outcomes can be accessed here. Content includes:
Locally, two strands of work in partnership with the North East LEP are about to get underway. The first will see three Secondary Schools and their feeder Primary Schools working together on transition through a careers related project and other activities.
The second will involve ten schools working on a project to support Secondary and Middle School curriculum leaders and teachers across the North of the Tyne to engage effectively with local employers. It aims to empower young people at Key Stage 3 with the knowledge and understanding to make informed decisions, including progression to level 3 STEM subjects with a focus on physics.
Future editions of Headlines will provide updates as these projects progress.
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We understand the huge challenges that all Head Teachers and Principals face, and the competing priorities you deal with daily. This section presents the experiences of a local head teacher or principal, providing an insight into what is happening in their school and why, and the impact it is having.
This edition’s video case study comes from Southmoor Academy in Sunderland, and considers how and why they have adopted a whole school approach to careers education and guidance, as well as its impact; with a particular focus on what they are doing to meet the new PAL requirements.
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Benchmarking and assessing progress of a school’s careers provision, and tracking individual pupils on their career journey, are important elements of any high quality careers programme; and a key focus in Ofsted inspections. In this edition of Headlines we look at two free tools from the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) that are designed to support schools in meeting these challenges.
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Compass+
Many schools in the North East are already aware of the benefits of Compass+ and are using a number of its features. If you’re not yet doing so, or if you want to make sure you’re using it to its full potential, the following information will be of interest.
The Compass+ tool allows schools to benchmark, manage, track and report on careers provision at individual student level. It provides features that assist a school to:
- Assess their careers provision against the Gatsby Benchmarks
- Track individual students’ career interests and intended destinations
- Track individual students’ actual destinations
- Plan and track careers activities for individual students
- Input and store details of third-party organisations and contacts that can support the school with careers provision
- Download key information into reports, for the following purposes:
- For analysis and reporting within the school
- To provide data to local authorities to support them in their statutory duty to record the intended destinations of 16 – 18 year-olds
- To provide systematic records to each student of the individual advice given to them as recommended in the Gatsby Benchmarks.
Compass+ is available to secondary schools, special schools, sixth forms and PRUs in England, and is powered by pupil-level data through the school’s Management Information System (MIS).
More information about Compass+ and how it is being used in schools is available here. This very short video gives a quick overview of the scope of Compass+.
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Future Skills Questionnaire
The Careers & Enterprise Company has created the Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ) for measuring student progress in developing the knowledge and skills needed for making successful transitions after secondary education through to a positive career. The FSQ is administered from the Compass+ platform and has tailored questions for students at key points of transition: starting secondary school, choosing GCSE subjects, finishing Key Stage 4, and for those who progress into sixth form. There is also a SEND version of the questionnaire.
Careers Leaders can use students’ questionnaire responses to:
- Measure progress of their careers programme over time
- Identify gaps in a school’s provision
- Tailor careers activities to individual needs
For more about the Future Skills Questionnaire and practical guidance about how it can be implemented in your school please click here.
The North East Ambition team has expertise in supporting schools to adopt and implement both Compass+ and FSQ. If you would like any help or advice please get in touch with Mark Fox, Hub Facilitator at the North East LEP: mark.fox@nelep.co.uk.
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We’d love to hear your thoughts about Headlines – it's important to us that the content is helpful and relevant for you. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for future content or examples of good practice you’d like to share that is happening in your school.
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please email GoodCareers@nelep.co.uk
Matt Joyce
Regional Lead: North East Ambition
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