Schools with poor careers advice should be downgraded, MPs advise

The Commons Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy has called for Ofsted to issue schools which offer substandard careers advice with a lower ranking.

In a report, the group of MPs warned that poor careers provision in England’s schools was depriving young people of the chance to consider job options and which would ultimately harm the economy.

The report said: "We recommend that Ofsted introduce a specific judgement on careers information advice and guidance for secondary schools, and set clear criteria for making these judgements.

"The Common Inspection Framework should be amended to make clear that a secondary school whose careers provision is judged as 'requires improvement' or 'inadequate' cannot be judged as 'outstanding' overall.

"Likewise a secondary school should be unable to receive an overall judgement of 'good' if its carers provision is judged to be 'inadequate'. Too many young people are leaving education without the tools to help them consider their future options or how their skills and experiences fit with opportunities in the job market.

"This failure is exacerbating skills shortages and having a negative impact on the country's productivity."

Neil Carmichael, who chairs the Education Committee, voiced concerns that ‘so many young people are being failed by the guidance they receive’.

He said: “Careers advice should be a core part of a young persons schooling - but at the moment it is little more than a poorly thought out add-on.”

However, Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), argued: “We agree that high-quality careers advice is vital to young people and the economic future of the country, but it is pointless to introduce yet another accountability measure without first addressing these problems.”