+44 (0) 1273 386849How School Libraries Support Careers Education During GCSE and A Level Exam Results Season
August is an important month for students receiving GCSE, AS, A Level and vocational qualification results.
After years of studying, many will soon be making decisions about sixth forms, colleges, apprenticeships, university places, and other progression routes that may shape their future careers. For students, families and schools alike, it can be an exciting, nerve-racking, and sometimes uncertain time.
With this in mind, I was interested to see the recent update to the Department for Education’s guidance on careers guidance. It prompted me to consider a simple question: where do school libraries fit into careers advice and education?
Whether formally or informally, most school librarians will already be contributing to careers education and guidance. Therefore, as results season approaches, this feels like a good opportunity to reflect on the contribution school libraries already make and whether we are playing a larger role in students’ future pathways than we sometimes realise.
What Does the Updated Statutory Guidance Say?
The Department for Education’s updated Careers guidance and access for education and training providers (June 2026) reinforces the expectation that careers education should be a planned and progressive programme throughout a student’s time at school, rather than a one-off event.
Among the areas highlighted are:
- Access to independent and impartial careers guidance.
- Exposure to a wide range of education, training and employment pathways.
- Encounters with further education providers, universities, apprenticeship providers and employers.
- Support for students at key transition points.
- Opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions.
- Strong links with the Gatsby Benchmarks.
- Greater emphasis on helping students understand the full range of progression routes available to them.
Much of this is already embedded within school careers programmes. What struck me, however, was how many of these themes overlap with the work taking place in school libraries every day – especially the support for students at key transition points.
Statutory guidance is all very well, but what does this look like in practice? More importantly, where can school libraries make a meaningful contribution?
Helping Students During School Exam Results Season
Exam results season generates a huge amount of information.
Students may be dealing with multiple options: from sixth forms, HE or FE colleges, apprenticeships, university clearing, higher vocational qualifications, training providers or even exam re-sits. At the same time they are trying to process the emotions that come with receiving their results.
Alongside official information comes advice from social media, friends, family members and well-meaning strangers.
Not all of this information is reliable. Helping students find their way through has always been part of the librarian’s role. Libraries are well placed to:
- Curate trusted careers and progression resources.
- Signpost official guidance from universities, colleges and apprenticeship providers.
- Support students in evaluating information and identifying reliable sources.
- Help students research unfamiliar courses, qualifications and career pathways.
In many ways, this is information literacy in action. The same skills we teach for research projects can help students make informed decisions about their futures.
Supporting Students When Options Change
Not every student receives the results they’d hoped for. For some, school exam results season can bring a sudden change of direction. University choices, college courses, or training routes may no longer feel certain. Even when alternatives exist, it can be a difficult and emotional moment.
This is where the school library can offer something valuable.
Practical support matters. Access to computers and the internet. Reliable information about apprenticeships, T Levels, vocational qualifications, and other progression routes. Resources that help students explore opportunities they may not have considered before.
Just as importantly, libraries provide something that is often in short supply during results season; a quiet space away from the noise and pressure to weigh up options and consider alternatives at their own pace. School librarians are not career advisers, counsellors or teachers, yet we are often trusted adults within the school community.
A Strategic Opportunity for School Libraries
Results season also provides an opportunity for libraries to demonstrate their wider contribution to student success. Schools working within the Gatsby Benchmarks framework may find that the library can support careers education through:
- A dedicated “Next Steps” information hub signposted on your school library management system.
- Curated resources and reading lists on higher education, further education and apprenticeships.
- Collaboration with careers leaders and pastoral teams.
- Resources focused on local employment market information.
- Evidence gathering around engagement with careers-related resources.
Many school librarians will already be offering most of these – and probably more.
There is also evidence that some pathways continue to receive greater visibility than others. Research from the Sutton Trust found that students were far more likely to report receiving substantial information about university routes than apprenticeships, while other studies have highlighted inconsistencies in how vocational and technical pathways are presented to young people.
This presents an opportunity for school libraries. Well-curated collections, displays and digital resources can help ensure students encounter a broad range of progression routes and can explore them independently. Whatever a student is considering, the library can provide access to reliable information without promoting one pathway over another.
A Brief Note on AI and Careers Research
Many students now use generative AI tools to explore careers, compare courses and seek advice.
These tools can be useful starting points, but they are not always accurate, current or complete. Some responses sound convincing while missing important details. Others may reflect outdated information or assumptions. This is familiar territory for librarians.
School librarians are well placed to help students:
- Verify AI-generated information.
- Compare AI responses with official guidance.
- Recognise limitations and potential biases.
- Use AI as a tool for exploration rather than a replacement for expert advice.
As AI becomes a routine part of students’ lives, helping them ask better questions and evaluate the answers they receive is becoming an increasingly important part of information literacy.
Are School Libraries Influencing Careers More Than We Realise?
It is hard to measure how many students discovered a career through a book, gained confidence through independent research, or explored an unexpected pathway because of a conversation in the library.
Reading the updated guidance left me wondering whether school libraries contribute more to careers education than we sometimes acknowledge. Careers education depends upon curiosity, information literacy, exploration and informed decision-making – and all this already sits at the heart of library work.
As results season approaches, perhaps this is a good opportunity to recognise that contribution and consider how it might be strengthened further. I’d be interested to hear what others think.
How does your library support careers education? Have you seen examples where a resource, conversation or moment of discovery helped shape a student’s next steps? How are you preparing to support students during exam season in 2026?
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