Career Connect’s research into careers provision for home educated young people is due to be published in peer-reviewed journal, British Journal of Guidance & Counselling.
“Setting new benchmarks for the provision of careers support for home educating families: findings from action research” will feature in the academic journal, to be published by Taylor and Francis.
The article features in a special edition titled Praxis in Careers Guidance and Counselling.
The number of families in England choosing to withdraw their children from school has grown significantly since 2016.
Career Connect’s research explores the reasons for withdrawing from school and the subsequent access that these young people have to Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG).
In 2016, an estimated 37,500 young people were being home educated (ADSC, 2016). By 2018, this had risen to 58,000, and then further to an estimated 115,542 young people during the 2020/21 academic year (ADSC, 2021).
Career Connect’s Gary Mundy (Director of Research), Karen Parry (Chief Operations Officer) and Sarah Vaughan (Senior Operations Manager) present findings from action research with home educating young people, parents/carers, staff from Career Connect, staff from schools and colleges, and staff from six local authorities.
They conclude that a growing number of families opt for home education as a short-term solution to broader challenges, while often lacking awareness of the long-term consequences.
National quality benchmarks for CEIAG provision in schools in England do not apply to provision outside of school, meaning that home educated young people can miss out on valuable careers guidance and planning for post-16 pathways.
The research notes that this near absence of professional careers support exacerbates other challenges of being outside of mainstream school and poses a major risk to the long-term life outcomes for those young people.
Gary Mundy, Director of Research for Career Connect said: “This article recognises a major gap in the provision of careers support for young people educated at home. Our research, while exploring some of the reasons why people home educate, highlights the urgent need to provide the right provision. We know that for many, especially those who feel they have no choice but to de-register a child from school, the lack of support available can come as a shock.
“Access to good careers education, information and guidance has a significant impact on a young person’s career pathway and social mobility. We are calling on the government to invest in provision to support home educated young people to prepare for their futures.”
