Is your school Baker Clause compliant?

The Baker Clause was introduced last year which requires schools to publish a statement online describing their careers programmes and how providers access their pupils to talk about technical education and apprenticeships. Further details can be found in our article which we published prior to the rule being enforced here.

The government has now issued a warning that those who fail to comply could see their funding axed. Damian Hinds, the education secretary, said: “We expect the Baker Clause to happen and if it doesn’t happen then it is possible to take further action.” This “further action” could be the cancellation of a Trust’s funding agreement as academies will be in breach of their funding agreement.

The skills minister, Annie Milton, has already written to five academy trusts who have not complied, but so far no further action has been taken.

Whilst compliance is key there are educators out there who want the government to invest in careers advice and guidance to ensure that this area gets the support it needs to properly help young people prepare for the future rather than threatening schools and academies with intervention. By flouting the law there are not only consequences for the academy trusts via funding and compliance but also pupils who need the options to explore all routes available to them for their future.

With the summer holidays fast approaching, we recommend that schools take advantage of this “quiet time” to undertake a school website review to ensure they are compliant ahead of the new academic year.

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