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Careers guidance: statutory requirements (secondary)

Understand what you and your senior leaders need to do to provide compulsory careers guidance, while meeting Ofsted's 'personal development' requirements.

Last reviewed on 27 March 2025See updates
School types: All•School phases: Secondary, 16 Plus•Ref: 3915
Contents
  1. Who this applies to
  2. Your school's or trust's duties 
  3. Your duties as a governing board or trust board
  4. The Gatsby Benchmarks: summarised
  5. Work experience
  6. Ofsted's expectations

Who this applies to

The Department for Education (DfE)'s statutory careers guidance is for:

  • Governing bodies
  • School and college leaders
  • Career leaders and staff in maintained schools
  • Academies
  • Free schools (including alternative provision academies and free schools)
  • Colleges (that provide secondary education and post-16 education)
  • Local authorities that maintain pupil referral units (PRUs)

The guidance applies to:

  • All pupils in school from year 7 to year 13
  • All pupils in college up to and including the age of 18
  • Pupils aged up to 25 with a current education, health and care plan in place

The requirements don't apply to non-maintained special schools and independent schools.

If you're in a multi-academy trust, the guidance applies to each academy. Some trusts align their careers plan and education across each school. 

Your school's or trust's duties 

Your school or trust should have a strategic careers plan

It should show how