Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (a) Careers and Enterprise Company, (b) Career Development Institute, (c) Careers England and (d) other representatives of careers advisers on the im implementation of section 2 of the Technical and Further Education Act 2017.

​The department introduced the ‘Baker Clause’ in January 2018 so that young people can find out about the full range of opportunities available to them in technical education. The Department for Education does not centrally hold the number of schools that are compliant with the ‘Baker Clause’ but we did carry out a survey with the Association of Employment and Learning Providers in June 2018 to find out more about the early impact of the new law. Just over three quarters (76%) of the 75 providers surveyed stated that the duty is being partially complied with in their area. Just under a fifth (19%) said it was not being complied with at all. The remaining 5% said schools in their area are fully compliant. A more recent study by the Institute for Public Policy Research, published on 9 January, found that 70% of providers say that it is difficult to access schools in their area and 31% say that the situation has improved in the last year.

I hosted a roundtable with schools and providers in November 2018 and officials continue to discuss with a range of education and careers representatives how to improve compliance with the Baker Clause.

​Ofsted looks at the implementation of the Baker Clause on school inspections. Ofsted’s current school inspection handbook (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/730127/School_inspection_handbook_section_5_270718.pdf.) sets out that inspectors will take into account careers guidance provided by secondary schools when making their judgement on the personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils. Inspectors look at how well schools provide impartial careers guidance to help and prepare pupils make informed choices about the next stage of their education, employment, self-employment or training.