‘Room for Improvement’ – findings from Parent, Pupil and Learner Panel published

The Department for Education commissioned the panel to identify the views of parents, pupils and learners to inform policy and identify trends over time. The latest data is from June 2023 and was published in October..

The survey was taken by 3,294 parents and 2,699 secondary and post-16 learners.

Some of the key findings are:

• Only 40% of young people in years 9 to 13 had taken part in work experience
• Only half of parents knew where to find resources to give careers advice, information and guidance to their child
• Only 16% of learners in years 10 to 13 would consider a career in teaching
• 39% of learners used their smartphones in school to access classroom activities
• 55% of parents of pupils with SEND said they had concerns about the quality of education or support their child received with 84% saying they had raised concerns informally and had them addressed
• Over three-quarters of learners were aware of the mental health support available in their setting and 32% of these had used that support
• 25% of parents reported that their child had missed school due to anxiety or mental health problems with a quarter of these stating that this was anxiety induced by exams

It is recognised that work experience for young people, especially those with SEND, is hugely beneficial in providing an opportunity to witness first hand the opportunities out in the world of work. It is one of the eight Gatsby Benchmarks that schools should be following to ensure excellent career guidance and it is more important for pupils wanting to access T-Levels with their 45-day work placement a compulsory part of the course. Providing careers guidance for learners with SEND is key and the guide from the Gatsby Benchmarks is a great place to start. 

It was unfortunate that the use of smartphones section did not consider use for bespoke adaptations, such as enlarging text, speech to text function, having text read, etc. It seems that this area of utilising technology to support those learners with SEND requires more focused research and understanding across the sector.