Written evidence from Ofsted (SMP0016)
Ofsted exists to raise standards and improve lives. Our inspection reports provide unique insights across a very wide range of education and training. We focus on improving outcomes for children, young people and adults, ensuring that they have access to high-quality education and training that will support them in their future lives and work opportunities.
Through the current education inspection framework inspectors consider the impact that schools and providers are having on social justice and opportunities for all. Ofsted is currently undertaking a consultation on a revised inspection framework for inspection remits including early years, schools, further education (FE) and skills. This follows our response to the Big Listen, last year. Through the consultation we have set out our aim to broaden our inspection methodology to prioritise inclusion and ensure great outcomes for everyone, including those who are disadvantaged and/or vulnerable and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). We want to make sure that every child, pupil and learner receives high-quality, inclusive education.
Beyond inspection, Ofsted delivers and commissions research including major thematic reports based on our inspection findings.
Our response to this call for evidence is based on the information we have gathered from inspection activity and our own independent research. We have therefore limited our response to those areas of the Committee’s topics and questions that our inspection or research activity provide a unique insight into.
In places we have highlighted inspection reports of individual providers that have demonstrated strong practice relevant to the Committee’s inquiry. Ofsted does not endorse a particular method, nor do we expect to see the same approach replicated everywhere.
What we provide here is a high-level overview. We should be pleased to be asked to provide further, more detailed evidence from our inspections and research to the committee on further request where it is available.
Summary of Ofsted’s response
Every child and young person deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of their circumstances. However, we know there is more to be done towards achieving this. This is why we will put the interests of disadvantaged children and young people at the heart of our reforms to the inspection of education provision. Ofsted will champion high standards for all children and learners, especially the most disadvantaged and vulnerable and those with SEND.
Through our commissioned research we have identified the importance of high-quality careers guidance being provided to children and learners in schools and specialist settings to ensure that they receive the information and support they need to make well-informed choices about their futures.[1],[2],[3] Where there is a highly effective careers guidance programme, children and learners receive the information they need to make appropriate choices regarding their next level of study, training or employment. However, as our research has shown us, not all children and learners receive information on studying courses such as T levels or know about the option of undertaking an apprenticeship when they leave school.
Our research tells us that generic careers guidance provided to disadvantaged learners studying in colleges is often not tailored to meet their needs. College leaders report difficulties in recruiting and retaining experienced career advisors. This affects the quality of careers guidance that learners receive. Through our research we identified a lack of equity between schools and colleges, in particular the absence of pupil premium funding in further education. Learners from lower socioeconomic backgrounds benefitted from stronger careers guidance when it was integrated into the curriculum and took account of employer needs.
An effective careers guidance programme can provide learners with the information they need to access higher levels of study, including progressing to university. However, not all schools and settings have qualified careers staff to advise and support learners to consider fully these options. Often the opportunities to support pupils and learners when considering their next step are ‘ad hoc’.
Our research shows the importance of careers guidance for learners aged 11 to 18 (and up to age of 25 for those who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan) who are studying in special schools, independent specialist colleges and alternative provision (AP). We identified that it is particularly important for children and young people with SEND who are from disadvantaged backgrounds to have access to information and opportunities outside of their education setting. Often assumptions are made by professionals about the aspirations of young people with SEND and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our research has provided strong evidence that young people who have a disability and those leaving AP are more likely not to be in education, employment or training (NEET).
Our FE and skills inspection reports recognise when providers take considered approaches to designing the curriculum and provide the education, training and support learners and apprentices need to prepare them for their next steps. Our reports identify stronger practice, such as providers working closely with employers and funding bodies to design their curriculums with the needs of young people who are NEET in mind, and providing short courses including Skills Bootcamps to help to train unemployed adults for jobs where there are known skills gaps and increasing the skills of those who are employed to help them to secure long-term work or gain a promotion.
Educational support – schools and FE colleges
What support is given by schools and FE colleges to 16 to 18 year olds considering applying for an apprenticeship, to apply to universities or to enter the world of work?
Ofsted published our Independent review of careers guidance in schools and further education and skills providers in 2023, which found that leaders and staff in schools and FE and skills providers mostly had a good awareness of how an effective careers guidance programme can help all pupils and learners achieve their aspirations. They understood their statutory responsibilities for careers, including those under the provider access legislation.
Many schools made sure pupils received unbiased guidance that included both academic and technical pathways. However, we found that this was not always the case. In general, when guidance was biased towards a particular pathway, it happened due to schools’ lack of strategic planning around the careers programme and the needs of individual pupils.
Schools and FE and skills providers generally understood and promoted apprenticeships, although some teachers’ knowledge about this provision was limited. There were more gaps in teachers’ understanding about T levels. Additionally, some learners in both school sixth forms and sixth-form colleges told us they did not get enough information about apprenticeships or vocational pathways. Pupils’ understanding of technical pathways varied.
We found that schools and FE and skills providers found the Gatsby benchmarks useful to help strategically review and develop their careers programme, reflecting a shift compared with our 2013 report. Most schools used personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education as dedicated time for direct input on careers guidance. However, in less effective examples, careers was only taught in PSHE, and wider subject staff were not regularly linking curriculum learning to careers. Some leaders also reported that they were limited by the time available for careers guidance.
As well as evidence on schools and FE colleges, we have also collected evidence on specialist settings for children of the same age through a Department for Education (DfE) request to review careers provision in specialist settings in 2022.
The scope of the review was careers guidance for 11 to 19 year olds (and for young people up to age 25 with a current EHC plan) in special schools, independent specialist colleges (ISCs) and pupil referral units (PRUs)). In the summer term 2023, we made 12 research visits to a small number of providers, as well as gathering evidence from inspectors, local authorities, stakeholders and reviewing inspection evidence. Our Independent review of careers guidance in specialist settings was subsequently published in February 2024.
High-quality careers guidance is important for all children and young people. It can be particularly important for children and young people with SEND, or from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may lack the social capital that their more advantaged peers have and are less likely to be able to access information and opportunities outside school. There are often assumptions made about the aspirations or abilities of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, for example that these groups do not aspire to achieve. There is strong evidence that disabled young people and those leaving AP are more likely to not be in education, employment or training (NEET).
We found that leaders regularly made sure that the voice of the child or young person was central to careers guidance.
All the providers we visited had a highly personalised approach. Leaders told us that the curriculum was personalised to meet the range of needs and aspirations of their learners.
Most leaders had plans in place to equip learners with the knowledge they need to make informed choices about their next steps. However, in a small number of the providers we visited, the careers programme did not provide sufficient opportunities for learners with higher levels of independence or academic ability to gain experiences that matched their aspirations.
Leaders in our sample prioritised high-quality work experience and were establishing relationships with employers. However, this was often met with mixed results. Sometimes, employers lacked the knowledge or confidence to give learners with SEND high-quality work experience. Additionally, some employers felt that they did not get enough information about the child or young person’s needs, and/or support from providers, to enable them to deliver high-quality experiences
Not all learners received impartial careers guidance from a qualified careers adviser. The impact of this on learners achieving enough information about the child or young person’s needs, and/or support from providers, to enable them to deliver high-quality experiences was unclear. In the best examples, we saw providers using a qualified careers adviser to deliver one-to-one careers guidance. This guidance was most effective when the adviser was knowledgeable about the options and pathways and had a good relationship with learners and their families. It was also important that the adviser understood the learner’s needs and aspirations, gave highly personalised advice and had experience or training in an area that was relevant to the learners in that provider.
All leaders in our review placed a high priority on engaging parents and families with careers guidance and transition planning. However, leaders found it hard to engage effectively with some parents and carers. Parents and carers are often anxious about the future, and providers made efforts to reduce their anxiety. Where engagement with parents worked well, it was part of well-established communication systems, such as newsletters or regular phone calls, and a well-planned series of events that linked parent evenings with career events and other key meetings.
Compared with learners in mainstream settings, learners in specialist settings were often more anxious about leaving their current provider. Leaders, career leaders and staff were aware of this, and took personalised approaches to reduce learners’ anxiety and build confidence. Many of these seemed to help.
Local authorities and the partners they work with did not always give families and current education providers enough support with transitions. Local authorities and their partners have statutory obligations to ensure children and young people with SEND are supported. Effective and smooth transitions into further education, training or employment are important to improve outcomes and help children and young people with SEND to succeed in their careers. There were some cases where the local authority did not confirm school/college places within agreed timescales or sent out incorrect paperwork related to transitions. This was distressing for families and children and young people, and providers’ staff had to invest significant time and resource in resolving these problems.
What part does careers advice and work placement play in the support offered? What works well? What gaps are there?
The Ofsted report on Independent review of careers guidance in schools and further education and skills providers, 2023 identified that schools and FE and skills providers see work experience and other encounters with employers as important. However, long-term changes in working practices, such as increased home working, mean that some employers have now reduced or stopped offering work experience. Schools and FE and skills providers continue to find it difficult to find alternative placements. Some school leaders said collecting destinations data was difficult and were concerned about the time required.
The report found that many learners and staff cited experiences of the workplace, and in particular work experience placements or industry placements, as one of the most important factors when deciding future career paths. These placements helped learners develop sector-specific skills and knowledge. They also built confidence and developed essential workplace skills such as communication and team-working.
For instance, one level 3 learner with high needs said:
“The work experience placement is most useful [for thinking about what I will do next]… Meeting new people, getting advice and developing social skills… Working with professional photographer at the work experience placement… Feels social skills [have got better] and better communication and confidence. Has built my confidence.”
Across all providers in the review, the most effective work experience placements involved:
What are the different needs, if any, of students from different socio-economic backgrounds? What additional support is offered to them, if any?
In April 2025 Ofsted published a report on Careers guidance for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
The report identified that.
- lack of equity in funding streams between schools and colleges (i.e. the absence of a pupil premium in further education)
- poor collaboration between schools and colleges in identifying pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and general ignorance of systems such as the DfE’s Get Information about Pupils (GIAP) tool that could help instead
- assumptions that these students would be picked up anyway due to intersectionality with other groups
- found it difficult to meet the costs of travelling to a work placement, which reduced the scope of possible placements to a limited area
- lived in areas where it was already difficult to establish placements, which the reduced travel radius made even harder
- could not rely on family members to help them arrange work experience, due to parents’ own limited knowledge and networks within their child’s area of study.
In addition to inspection providers such as schools, general further education (GFE) colleges, sixth forms, independent training providers and employers, Ofsted also inspects the quality of education in prisons and young offender institutions (YOIs). Many of the children and young people in these institutions are extremely vulnerable, and over half have special educational needs and/or disabilities. For a number of years we have been concerned about the poor access to education that YOIs offered to the children they care for. In November 2024, Ofsted published a joint thematic review of education in YOIs with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons highlighting its decline in the last decade. We see this group of children (15-18) as being deprived of the necessary educational tools that would improve their rehabilitation and social mobility on release.
University initiatives
What work is done by universities to encourage applications from candidates from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds? What links are there between schools and universities to inform, encourage and support students who might be the first in their family to consider applying to study at a university?
The support for students to apply to higher levels of study including at university is often reliant on individual schools. When done well, this is usually because school staff work well with further education settings or charities. For example, where one school had identified skills gaps in the local area for engineering and science-based roles, they worked with dedicated bodies to encourage and support students to apply and study in these subjects. Schools, colleges and students can access free and individualised support as part of students transition to university through specific campaigns such as ‘Join the Dots’.
Leaders who are more astute to accessing support to provide careers guidance including from charities that help to widen participation, do this well. However, the support is often down to an individual school and their connections with universities. This can lead to support to pupils being offered on an ‘ad hoc’ basis and there is no commonly agreed system wide approach.
Employer initiatives
What part does training play in supporting career development and promotion to existing employees?
Through our inspection work, inspectors judge the quality of education, training and careers guidance for learners and apprentices to enable them to gain promotion and secure employment.
In November 2022 Skills Bootcamps thematic survey - GOV.UK Ofsted was commissioned to undertake a thematic survey for Skills Bootcamps. Bootcamps were introduced by the government at the time to support its 2019 manifesto and commitment to help adults learn valuable skills and prepare them for the economy of the future.
In April 2023 Ofsted began inspecting Skills Bootcamps under the adult learning provision. Initially Skills Bootcamps were funded directly by the DfE. Following the move to the devolution of the adult education budget these are now mostly commissioned through combined authorities. Skills Bootcamps are short, intensive courses, designed to help adults to gain the skills that are in-demand both locally and nationally. These courses cover a wide range of subjects including digital, technical and green skills, and are often linked to local skills needs.
Skills Bootcamps help adults to enter employment with a guaranteed interview on completion of the course; they also provide employed adults with the opportunity to enhance and/or learn new skills to use in their existing role or to move to a new career.
Through our inspections of Skills Bootcamp providers, inspectors highlight the skills development for learners to gain access to training to support them in work. For example, Inspection of The Construction Skills People Limited, inspectors judged that:
they offer adult learning programmes and Skills Bootcamp training for unemployed and employed adults. Almost all provision is focused on the construction sector, except for a very small business and administration offer.
Inspectors judged that learners benefit from leaders’ close work with employers to plan course content. For example, the level 2 Skills Bootcamp in thermal wall installation includes specific content related to carpentry and dry lining that employers require. This means learners become familiar with current industry techniques and are better prepared for job opportunities.
There is rightly a strong focus on ways to build unemployed learners’ resilience and team working skills. On the level 1 introductory course, learners improve these skills and start to understand how important they are in the construction industry.
Most learners successfully develop the knowledge and skills they need to progress. Level 1 introduction to construction learners develop an array of helpful employment-related skills, such as digital skills, to help them apply for jobs. Employed learners on Skills Bootcamps learn to work competently without their site mentors. They move from basic labouring roles on to more complex work, such as drainage or concreting.
NEETs
What is the role of (1) schools and (2) employers in encouraging NEETs back into education, training or employment?
There are many examples of FES providers working to encourage those who are NEET back into education, training or employment. Some GFE colleges have specific courses aimed at these young people to help them improve their employability skills as their main programme aim, along with aspects of a personal development curriculum. There are independent training providers who specialise in this provision and there are also examples of local authority providers working with these groups of young people. When developing the curriculum and support for young people, leaders will consider the reasons they have become NEET, such as poor attendance in their previous education setting. Leaders aim to overcome these barriers, to ensure learners have access to the support they need to access education and training.
What examples are there of partnerships between educators, employers, local government and charities to reach NEETs and encourage them into education, training or employment?
During inspections of further education and skills providers, inspectors gather evidence of providers working proactively with local organisations and agencies to develop sensible, sometimes bespoke, curriculums that are designed to engage learners who were previously NEET.
Providers who do this well develop strong links with schools, Combined Authorities, local councils, Jobcentre Plus and employers. They use these relationships to establish the priority skills needs for the local area, as well as the needs of potential and existing learners.
Leaders consider carefully learners educational starting points and set them targets that prepare them well for their next steps in education or employment.
Below are a few recent examples of providers working well in partnership with stakeholders, employers and local government.
Inspection of Hugh Baird College:
Young students, some with negative experiences of education and many with low prior attainment or attendance, make substantial progress at college. Teachers use their passion for the subject and their extensive vocational expertise to make learning enjoyable and highly relevant to what students want to do next. Employers attend lessons to talk to students about different career options, covering the challenging aspects as well as the more exciting elements. This ensures that students thoroughly understand the sectors they wish to work in.
Leaders work with the local authority to develop a bespoke curriculum to support young people not in education, employment or training to progress to relevant courses, apprenticeships or employment. Leaders have worked with the local authority to invest in curriculums to meet the needs of students with high needs and advocate for the development of skills for adult learners.
When inspecting NACRO, which is a social justice charity based in England and Wales, inspectors judged that many learners and apprentices improve their attendance during their studies. Before starting on their courses, they had often missed learning or been out of education for some time. Staff set high expectations and have a strong focus on improving learners’ and apprentices’ attendance. Teachers quickly intervene when learners and apprentices do not attend classes. However, despite these efforts in a few cases younger learners’ attendance is not yet consistently high.
Leaders and teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the character and bolstering the confidence of learners and apprentices. Learners with high needs take part in activities outside of their immediate peer groups. This allows them to grow their friendship groups and practise good behaviour with new people. As a result, many learners with high needs overcome their anxieties and become more resilient.
Staff work closely with learners and apprentices to help them develop positive attitudes towards their training. Many learners start with significant barriers. Staff support them to enjoy and value their studies, including subjects like English and mathematics where many learners had previously had negative experiences.
Inspection of Coventry College
Leaders have set ambitious targets for staff in curriculum areas to work with relevant stakeholders to develop courses. Working closely with Coventry City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority, leaders have developed a clear action plan to meet the needs and demands of the area. Leaders have designed Skills Bootcamps with employers to enable those who wish to gain employment in the construction sector. Teachers have also developed short courses to help those who are unemployed to develop their job-seeking skills and gain practical experience in vocational subjects. The proportion of adult learners who gain employment as a result of their studies has steadily increased over the past two years.
Concluding remarks
Ofsted thematic and institutional inspection reports demonstrate there is much good work being done by post-16 providers and schools to enable children and young people to move into employment or further study or training and fulfil their potential. However, as the data on NEETs and the thematic review into education in YOIs suggest, there is much more work to be done, particularly for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable to succeed. Through our renewed education inspection framework, we intend to shine a spotlight on pupils/learners who are vulnerable or disadvantaged and those with SEND, to be a more effective lever for change.
25 April 2025
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-careers-guidance-in-schools-and-further-education-and-skills-providers/independent-review-of-careers-guidance-in-schools-and-further-education-and-skills-providers.
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-careers-guidance-in-specialist-settings/independent-review-of-careers-guidance-in-specialist-settings.
[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/careers-guidance-for-students-from-lower-socioeconomic-backgrounds-variable-new-report.