Tag: Follow-up Leaver Destinations

Rise in school leavers in positive destinations

Growing numbers in Higher and Further Education in 2023-24

The number of young people in work, training or further study nine months after they left school has increased.

The proportion of school leavers in a positive destination was 93.1% in 2023-24, up from 92.8%, according to the annual Summary Statistics for Follow-up Leaver Destinations. This is now at a similar level to the pre-pandemic peak of 93.3% in 2017-18.

The increase over the latest year has been driven by increases in school leavers reaching Higher education (from 37.1% to 38.1%) and Further education (from 21.2% to 21.9%).

Over the longer term, the proportion in positive destinations is up from 85.9% in 2009-10.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “These figures show the proportion of Scotland’s young people achieving positive destinations is almost back to pre-pandemic levels and at a near record high.

“The increase among those in Higher and Further Education is hugely encouraging and testament to the hard work of those young people and the extraordinary support provided by Scotland’s teachers, lecturers and other support staff.

“The gap in positive destinations between young people from our most and least deprived communities has more than halved since 2009-10, but this latest data shows we still have more to do. We also know this cohort of young people faced significant disruption to their education during the pandemic.

“A range of support, including from careers advisers and the Developing the Young Workforce network, is available for young people considering their options after school. I am determined to ensure young people can access the right help they need to enable them into a positive destination and this Government will continue to invest in opportunities for young people across Scotland.”

Summary statistics for follow-up leaver destinations, no. 7: 2025 edition – gov.scot

Record number of school leavers in work, training or study

Gap narrows between most and least deprived areas

A record number of young people were in work, training or further study less than a year after the end of the school term.

The latest Follow-up Leaver Destinations statistics show 93.5% of those finishing school in the last academic year (2021-22) were progressing their studies or careers after nine months – up from 93.2% the year before.

The number of school leavers in work has also reached a record high of 31.8%.

The gap between those from the most and least deprived areas in work, training or further study  has also narrowed to a record low of seven percentage points – down from 18.7 percentage points in 2009-10.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “I am greatly encouraged to see we have a record number of young people in work, training or further study less than a year after leaving school. These figures are testament to the hard work of learners across the country.

“We know the pandemic had a significant impact on our education system, but Scotland’s teachers and support staff are clearly preparing young learners for the next stage in life very well, whether that be work or further study.

“This Government has prioritised tackling the gap in achievement between the most and least deprived areas, so I am heartened to see this gap continuing to close.

“As we start to embark on a programme of education reform in the months ahead, it is clear that we will be building on a very strong platform.”

The annual Summary Statistics for Follow-up Leaver Destinations publication  provides a snapshot of the destinations of 2021-22 school leavers from publicly funded mainstream schools approximately nine months after the end of the school year.