Our advice for schools, colleges and other learning providers
Already over 1100 schools, colleges and other learning providers across England either hold or are working towards achieving the Standard. This includes 30% of England’s state secondary schools & academies as well as 30% of England’s Sixth Form Colleges. A growing number are also now working towards the Standard in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
As of 23rd October 2019, there are:
- 663 Award Holders (including 105 Schools & Colleges accredited this year against the revised national criteria fully incorporating the Gatsby Benchmarks).
- 447 Working Towards the Standard (to be assessed in due course against the revised national criteria fully incorporating the Gatsby Benchmarks).
Getting started: we recommend that you begin by looking carefully at the national accreditation criteria set out in the Guide to the Quality in Careers Standard – this link takes you to the Guide. The criteria describe precisely what is required of learning providers and, therefore, what our Licensed Awarding Bodies will assess in terms of overall careers provision in schools, colleges and other learning providers.
Next, just as you’re used to choosing between different awarding bodies for examinations, we recommend that you review the Awarding Bodies we’ve licensed. Our strong advice is that you get in touch with one or more directly. This link provides the contact details for our Awarding Bodies and shows where they operate.
We recommend that you ask the Awarding Bodies you contact directly to outline their distinctive approach to the delivery of the Standard (their ‘offer’) as well as the prices they charge.
In respect of prices, it’s important to say that whilst the fees each Awarding Body charges are broadly similar (although there may also be a few Local Authority areas where fees are subsidised – so, please, check with the Awarding Body), each Awarding Body is authorised to set its own fee structure in the context of the ‘offer’ it makes, so it’s essential to talk this through with them.
This link takes you to our Award Holders – schools, colleges, and other learning providers who currently hold the national Standard. You may also find it helpful to contact some holders in your area to hear their experiences of the value of the process as well as the benefits for students and the impact of the Standard.
We cannot stress too strongly that it’s really important that you approach Awarding Bodies operating in your area to find the approach which you feel best suits your school or college to start the ‘Quality in Careers journey’ towards national accreditation. Then, after reviewing your options, you’re free to choose the Awarding Body you wish to work with for the Quality in Careers Standard.