Education outcomes for looked after children: 2014-2015

Post-school destinations

This section presents data on the destinations of the 427 young people who were looked after from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2015 and who left school during 2014/15. Information on young people's 'destinations' (such as employment or further education) is collected three and nine months after they leave school. All figures have been updated since previous publications due to improvements in coverage and updates to methodology, so should not be compared to previously published figures. For more information on school leaver destination categories, see background note 4.8. The data underlying the illustrations are available here: http://www.gov.scot/stats/bulletins/01226

Initial and follow-up destinations

Chart 3 Looked after children in positive destinations nine months after leaving school, 2009/10 to 2014/15

A young person is said to be in a positive destination if they are in education, employment, training, voluntary work or an Activity Agreement ^[1] . A lower proportion of looked after children enter positive destinations than all school leavers, but this gap has narrowed since 2009/10, although progress appears to have stalled in recent years. The lower proportion of looked after children going into positive destinations is likely to be related to looked after young people leaving school at younger ages.

Table 2.1: Positive initial destinations (3 months after leaving school) among looked after leavers and all school leavers, 2009/10 to 2014/15 ⁽¹⁾

(1) Due to improvements outlined in background note 3.2, historical data has been updated.

More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of children looked after for a full year who left school during or at the end of 2014/15 were in a positive destination three months after leaving school, compared with nine in ten (93 per cent) of all 2014/15 school leavers (Table 2.1). Among looked after young people, 40 per cent were either in Higher or Further Education. The lower proportion of looked after young people entering higher education can largely be explained by leaving school earlier and consequent lower levels of qualifications.

The positive destination is more likely to be sustained after nine months for all school leavers rather than for looked after leavers. By the time of the follow-up in March, almost seven in ten (69 per cent) looked after children who were looked after for the year from August 2014 to July 2015 and left school in that period were in a positive destination, compared with 92 per cent of all 2014/15 school leavers. The rate of positive destinations among looked after children at the time of the follow-up has improved greatly over the period of measurement, from 40 per cent in 2009/10 to 69 per cent in 2014/15. This increase is predominantly due to an increase in looked after school leavers entering employment (from 7 per cent in 2009/10 to 19 per cent in 2014/15). There is a lower proportion of looked after school leavers in positive follow-up destinations compared to their initial destinations (77 per cent in positive destinations initially down to 69 per cent at follow up). This reduction is also present for all school leavers, but to a lesser extent (93 per cent in positive destinations initially down to 92 per cent at follow up).

There is a consistently large fall drop-off in the proportion of looked after young people sustaining a place in further education. It is not clear why this occurs, but it may highlight a need for extra support for this group to continue their education.

Table 2.2: Positive follow-up destinations (nine months after leaving school) among looked after leavers and all school leavers, 2009/10 to 2014/15 ⁽¹⁾

(1) Due to improvements outlined in background note 3.2, historical data has been updated.

Table 2.3 shows the percentage of looked after school leavers in positive destinations three and nine months after leaving school. There is a decrease in proportions in positive destinations in all groups except for those children in foster care, where the proportion actually increases. The largest decreases are seen in those young people looked after at home or with friends/relatives.

Table 2.3: Percentage of positive initial and follow-up destinations among looked after school leavers with one placement, 2014/15 ^(1),(2)

(1) Includes 'with prospective adopters'.

(2) Includes 'in residential school, 'in secure care accommodation' and 'crisis care'.

Cross- UK comparisons

The improvements seen in the proportion of looked after children in Scotland moving into positive destinations after leaving school since 2009/10 mirrors the general trend across the UK overall. Because of differences in the education systems and leaving between Scotland and the rest of the UK (and in the ages at which young people leave school) it is not possible to directly compare post school destinations of looked after children. See background note 5.3 for further information.