Commentary on provisions of Act Section 1: Extension of duty to provide careers guidance in schools
Section 1 is made up of seven subsections and extends the careers statutory duty to all pupils in secondary education in all types of state-funded secondary school, including academy schools and alternative provision academies.
	Subsections (1) and (2) extend the Section 42A duty to secure independent careers guidance (as provided by Section 42A of the Education Act 1997) to pupils throughout their secondary education, by replacing the words ‘relevant phase of their education’ with ‘secondary education’; previously there was no obligation for this to begin until pupils were in the year in which the majority turned 13.
	Subsection (3) extends the duty to secure independent careers guidance to all academy schools and alternative provision academies. Subsection (4) provides that the responsible authority for academy schools and alternative provision academies are the academy proprietors.
	This means that all academy schools and alternative provision academies will be required to ensure that registered pupils are provided with independent careers guidance which is presented in an impartial manner, includes information on options available in respect of 16 to 18 education or training, including apprenticeships, and is guidance that the person giving it considers will promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given.
	Section one, subsection (5) provides that the requirement for the independent careers guidance secured under this duty to include information on 16-18 education or training options, including apprenticeships, does not apply to pupils over compulsory school age.
	Section one, subsection (6) omits section 42A(6) which previously referred to the ages of pupils to whom the duty applies. Subsection (7) omits the definition of "class" in Section 42A(7), as "class" is used only in Section 42A(6) which will be omitted.