Summary statistics for attainment and initial leaver destinations, no. 6: 2024 edition

Section 8. Data, Methodology and Sources

Section 8.1 Leaver destinations

Source and Quality Assurance

School leaver destination data is sourced from the Opportunities for All shared dataset which is managed and hosted by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on behalf of partners. The data is held on the SDS operational Customer Support System (CSS). This data set contains information shared by local authorities, colleges, Scottish Funding Council, Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) via a secure online portal known as the 16+ Data Hub.

Data that has been shared by partners is combined with information gathered directly from young people, their parents/carers or their representatives by SDS staff delivering services to individuals, including transitional support to school leavers. SDS has at least one named adviser for each school in Scotland who works directly with pupils and school staff to support the transition of young people from school. As this combined data is primarily used for operational purposes the quality is continually monitored to ensure SDS, local authorities and colleges can monitor and plan for a young person's involvement in education, training or employment and identify those young people who require advice or support.

SDS has developed guidance documents for their staff which set out the specific activities and processes involved in identifying, engaging with and confirming the status of SDS customers.

Prior to destination data being shared with the Scottish Government, final quality checks are carried out centrally by the Corporate Planning and Performance Reporting team within SDS. These include a review of statuses to ensure the reported destination reflects the available detail. In addition, final checks of shared data are made to ensure destinations are consistent with data sources e.g. matching information about modern or graduate apprentices.

Methodology

A pupil is counted as a school leaver if they have a leaver record on the Opportunities for All shared data set, a Scottish Government pupil census record for the same academic year, and no Scottish Government pupil census record in the following academic year.

The initial destinations data in this publication provide information on the outcomes for young people approximately three months after the end of the academic year (the 1st Monday in October). The follow-up publication provides information on the outcomes of young people approximately nine months after the end of the academic year (the 1st Monday in April). These should be seen as complementary to one another, but it should be noted that various factors may affect the results at different time periods.

Definitions of the destination categories included in this publication can be found in Section 7.

Throughout this publication the initial destination statistics exclude special school leavers from the calculations. Initial destination statistics which include special school leavers can be found in table L3.1 of the supplementary tables.

Recording of 'unemployed seeking' statuses

The rollout of Universal Credit (UC) commenced in March 2016 and has replaced out of work benefits, such as Jobseekers' Allowance, which were previously used to update the status of individuals to 'unemployed seeking'.

For releases of these statistics up to and including 2019-20, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) did not receive data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on Universal Credit claimants.

SDS now receives UC data from DWP, which they used to validate the initial destinations of school leavers for 2020-21, 2021-22 and again in 2022-23.

It is likely that this UC data has had a limited impact on the initial destination figures presented at a national level. SDS maintains an accurate record of the circumstances of the school-leaver-aged young people in unemployment that it engages with, through the delivery of post-school services. The availability of UC data from DWP will, in most cases, have confirmed the statuses of school leavers which had already been determined through this engagement.

Section 8.2 The National Qualifications measure

8.2.1 The National Qualifications measure: general methodology

Source and Quality Assurance

Data on National Qualifications are provided by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) using data from the live SQA Awards Processing System (APS).

SQA provide two extracts of data to the Scottish Government (SG): one in August (pre-appeals data) and one in December (post-appeals data). The December extract is used in this publication.

For 2023, the August data extract includes records with a result date between 01 August 2022 and 31 July 2023 (where a candidate has been entered, has a final result or has been certificated), Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credit information, SCQF credit points, SCQF levels and qualification types (where available) and excludes records on qualification types that are out of scope.

The SQA data extract is merged with school roll data provided by the Scottish Government (Scottish Candidate Number (SCN), centre number and stage information) from the SG pupil census. Data are retained and provided to the Scottish Government only where there is a match by SCN on the SQA data extract and the school roll data. This ensures SQA only provide records for which Scottish Government have legitimate interest to process.

The December data extract is formed of the August data extract, updated with information from the results of appeals. The December extract contains records provided in the August attainment data transfer which match with the SQA APS on SCN and product code. Any records that were present in the August extract, but are no longer present in SQA APS, will not feature in the December extract; such changes will typically be due to course withdrawals/changes.

Methodology

The National Qualification attainment data presented in this publication (and supplementary tables) include qualifications achieved throughout all stages of a pupil's schooling.

The data are based on the result date of learners' qualifications. In some cases, this may lead to attainment being reported in a different academic year to that reported by SQA. There is also the possibility of a small number of awards being excluded if an appeal is successful after a pupil has left. Only attainment data for candidates with a Scottish Candidate Number in the pupil census that year are included.

This publication uses the 'latest and best' approach for attainment data. This means that only the best result within a subject is counted, with a grade A to C (or ungraded pass) considered a pass. For example, if a pupil passes Higher Mathematics one year and Advanced Higher Mathematics the following year, only the Advanced Higher qualification will be counted when looking at how many qualifications at any level that leaver has achieved by the time they left school.

If a pupil attains a D at a certain level this is not counted as achieving that level. Instead, it is counted as being equivalent to attainment at the level below. (This is the case even when there is not a qualification offered at the level below). For example, if a pupil attains a D at SCQF Level 5 in a certain subject this would be counted as attaining at SCQF Level 4 or better for that subject, and not at SCQF Level 5 or better.

Attainment statistics exclude special school pupils unless otherwise stated.

8.2.2 Learning hours and SCQF credit points

SCQF credit points provide an indication of the length of time it takes to complete a course’s learning outcomes, with 1 credit point equating to 10 notional hours of learning. All of the qualifications counted in the National Qualifications measure at a given SCQF Level have the same number of notional learning hours. So, for example, at SCQF Level 6, all Highers are associated with 24 SCQF credit points or 240 notional hours of learning.

Section 8.3 The All SCQF measure

8.3.1 The All SCQF measure: general methodology

Source, Quality Assurance and Methodology

This measure includes attainment data from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) - including but not limited to National Qualifications - and from a number of other award providers.

SQA data is extracted from the live SQA Awards Processing System and provided to the Scottish Government twice yearly, as described in section 8.2.1.

Attainment data from other award providers is received by the Scottish Government in July each year. Each award provider submits a file containing attainment records for the academic year just gone (i.e. from 01 August to mid-July). The data includes information about the qualification type, SCQF level, SCQF credit points and grade of each award, as well as the Scottish Candidate Number of the pupil and the centre number of the presenting centre.

Wider award providers are given the opportunity to submit a revised attainment file in December each year with records updated to reflect the outcomes of appeals. Only amended records that were present in the July data are accepted in December – no new attainment is added. Where applicable, the December (i.e. post-appeals) version of these attainment files are used in this publication.

Attainment records can only be included if received from providers in the correct timescales and with a valid Scottish Candidate Number attached. We endeavour to include as many award providers as possible and encourage schools and local authorities to let us know of any new providers as soon as they begin offering qualifications within their school, so that we can get in touch with them. Only awards which are on the SCQF framework are included.

The qualifications included in the All SCQF measure can be associated with different numbers of SCQF credit points. More information can be found in Section 8.4.2.

As for the National Qualifications measure, the All SCQF measure uses the 'latest and best' approach where only the best result within a subject is counted.

8.3.2 Numbers of qualifications included in the All SCQF measure over time

When considering changes in attainment over time under the All SCQF measure, it is important to keep in mind that the numbers of qualifications included in the measure has changed over time. There are a number of reasons for this. For example, it could be because new providers or courses have been added to the SCQF, it could be because data has been received for courses or from providers for which data has previously not been provided or it could reflect changing presentation policies in schools or local authorities.

Generally speaking, the range of qualifications in which school leavers have gained attainment has been increasing over time. Further information is available on request.

8.3.3 Sizes of qualifications included in the All SCQF measure over time

Just as the numbers of qualifications included in the All SCQF measure can change over time, so can the types of qualifications and the numbers of SCQF credit points associated with them.

The proportions of qualifications gained by school leavers that are associated with one or two SCQF credit points has increased over time, particularly since 2018-19. Almost three per cent of qualifications gained by school leavers at SCQF level 6 or above under the All SCQF measure in 2022-23 were associated with one or two SCQF credit points, up from around zero in 2017-18.

8.3.4 Variation between local authorities under the All SCQF measure, and over time

Just as there can be differences in the make-up of the qualifications included in the All SCQF measure over time, there can be differences in attainment from one local authority to another due to differing presentation policies. And there can also be variation within a single local authority over time.

Table 14 shows the proportion of qualifications attained by school leavers at SCQF Level 6 and above that were associated with one or two SCQF credit points, at Scotland level and across the local authorities. There is considerable variation between local authorities, and also over time within individual local authorities. This should be kept in mind when making comparisons between local authorities and when comparing attainment over time within individual local authorities.

Table 14: Proportion of all All SCQF qualifications attained by school leavers at SCQF Level 6 and above that were associated with 1-2 credit points, by local authority, 2017-18 to 2022-23 [note 48]

	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Aberdeen City	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%
Aberdeenshire	0.1%	0.0%	0.2%	0.7%	0.1%	0.0%
Angus	0.0%	0.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%
Argyll & Bute	0.0%	0.0%	0.3%	0.0%	0.0%	2.5%
Clackmannanshire	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Dumfries & Galloway	0.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
Dundee City	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%	1.9%
East Ayrshire	0.0%	0.0%	1.9%	0.8%	0.7%	1.0%
East Dunbartonshire	0.0%	0.4%	2.1%	1.9%	0.7%	2.6%
East Lothian	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.3%	0.0%	0.4%
East Renfrewshire	0.0%	0.0%	0.2%	0.8%	0.0%	1.3%
Edinburgh City	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%	1.0%	2.1%
Na h-Eileanan Siar	0.0%	0.0%	0.5%	0.3%	1.0%	0.0%
Falkirk	0.0%	0.0%	0.2%	0.2%	1.2%	6.6%
Fife	0.0%	0.0%	2.7%	2.8%	1.2%	6.8%
Glasgow City	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.4%	0.6%	1.2%
Highland	0.1%	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%	0.6%	0.2%
Inverclyde	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.6%	0.2%	0.2%
Midlothian	0.0%	0.0%	3.1%	1.1%	0.2%	4.0%
Moray	0.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.2%	0.0%	0.1%
North Ayrshire	0.0%	0.1%	2.9%	3.5%	0.0%	5.8%
North Lanarkshire	0.1%	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%	0.0%	0.0%
Orkney Islands	0.4%	0.5%	2.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Perth & Kinross	0.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	1.4%	1.7%
Renfrewshire	0.0%	0.1%	2.9%	3.1%	1.4%	8.2%
Scottish Borders	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.6%	0.1%	0.6%
Shetland Islands	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	3.2%	0.1%	0.6%
South Ayrshire	0.0%	0.0%	1.7%	1.8%	1.3%	3.0%
South Lanarkshire	0.0%	0.0%	0.3%	0.2%	1.3%	0.7%
Stirling	0.0%	0.0%	0.2%	0.8%	1.6%	1.5%
West Dunbartonshire	0.0%	0.0%	0.3%	0.4%	1.6%	0.0%
West Lothian	0.1%	5.1%	12.1%	13.4%	16.3%	17.0%
Scotland	0.0%	0.3%	1.3%	1.5%	2.1%	2.9%

Note 48: Keep in mind the context of each individual local authority, if making comparisons between them.

Section 8.4 Differences between the National Qualification and All SCQF measures

8.4.1 Summary of differences between the two measures

There are a number of methodological differences between the All SCQF measure and the National Qualifications measure. This is because the two measures were originally developed for different purposes. The National Qualifications measure has been used in previous versions of this publication and contributes three of the key National Improvement Framework (NIF) measures. The All SCQF measure was developed for use in Insight – the benchmarking tool used by schools and local authorities – and is used across the education system to provide information on the range of attainment young people are gaining at school. Both measures are valid and provide important insights into the attainment of school leavers.

The main methodological differences between the National Qualifications measure and the All SCQF measure are set out below.

Qualifications and award providers:

The National Qualifications measure covers SQA National Qualifications, with the exceptions of National Units and Scottish Baccalaureates. The SQA National Qualifications included are therefore the National Courses – National 3, National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher – and Skills for Work.

The All SCQF measure covers all qualifications on the SCQF. These include the National Qualifications (as under the National Qualifications measure), along with other qualifications provided by SQA, such as National Progression Awards, Awards etc. and qualifications provided by other award providers.

SCQF credit points:

All of the qualifications at a given SCQF Level in the National Qualifications measure carry the same number of SCQF credit points (and notional learning hours).

The qualifications at a given SCQF Level in the All SCQF measure can be associated with different numbers of SCQF credit points and notional learning hours. See Section 8.4.2 for more information.

Treatment of Grade Ds:

In the National Qualifications measure a grade D at a given SCQF Level is counted as a pass at the SCQF Level below. So, for example, a grade D at SCQF Level 6 is counted as a pass at SCQF Level 5 but not as a pass at SCQF Level 6.

In the All SCQF measure a grade D at a given SCQF Level is counted as a pass at that SCQF level. So, for example, a grade D at SCQF Level 6 is counted as a pass / award at SCQF Level 6.

Leaver cohort:

The National Qualifications measure includes those who have left a publicly funded mainstream school from any stage. Those leaving from special schools are not included in the headline measures found in this report but are included in certain supplementary tables.

The All SCQF measure includes those who have left a publicly funded mainstream school from the senior phase, i.e. from stages S4-S6 only. Those leaving from special schools are not included in this measure.

Stage of schooling in which qualifications are attained:

The National Qualifications measure considers all of the attainment in National Qualifications which a school leaver has gained over the previous 6 years. In practice, given the focus on the best level achieved, it is likely that the earlier years of this period will have a limited effect on attainment.

The All SCQF measure considers attainment which a school leaver has gained during the senior phase of schooling, i.e. in S4-S6 only.

8.4.2 Learning hours and SCQF credit points

One of the features of the National Qualifications measure is that all of the qualifications counted at a given SCQF Level have the same number of notional learning hours (see section 8.2.2). SCQF credit points provide an indication of the length of time it takes to complete a course’s learning outcomes, with 1 credit point equating to 10 notional hours of learning. So, for example, at SCQF Level 6, all Highers are associated with 24 SCQF credit points or 240 notional hours of learning. This means that, under the National Qualifications measure, a pass in one qualification at a given SCQF Level can be seen as being equivalent to a pass in another qualification at that SCQF Level.

Under the All SCQF measure this is not the case. Qualifications at the same SCQF Level can involve different numbers of notional learning hours. As outlined above, a Higher is associated with 24 SCQF credit points. Meanwhile, by way of example, the SCQF Level 6 Emergency First Aid at Work qualification is associated with one SCQF credit point or 10 notional learning hours, and the SCQF Level 6 Qualification in Sports Leadership is associated with 14 SCQF credit points (140 notional learning hours). Under the All SCQF measure, gaining any of these qualifications counts as attainment at SCQF Level 6.

Tables 15 and 16 demonstrate this point. They show the numbers of different qualifications gained by school pupils in 2022-23 broken down by SCQF level and SCQF credit points. Table 15 shows this for the qualifications in the All SCQF measure and table 16 shows it for the qualifications in the National Qualifications measure. (Note the data presented in these tables present qualifications gained by school pupils in 2022-23. School leavers are likely to have gained attainment over multiple years).

Table 15: Numbers of All SCQF measure qualifications by SCQF credit point banding, at each SCQF level, 2022-23

	1 - 2 pts	3 - 17 pts	18-23 pts	24-31 pts	32+ pts
SCQF level 3	2	11	44	3	0
SCQF level 4	1	42	19	75	6
SCQF level 5	13	28	40	93	57
SCQF level 6	8	16	27	77	54
SCQF level 7	0	8	1	23	79

Table 16: Numbers of qualifications associated with National Qualification measure by SCQF credit point banding, at each SCQF level, 2022-23

	1 - 2 pts	3 - 17 pts	18-23 pts	24-31 pts	32+ pts
SCQF level 3	0	0	37	0	0
SCQF level 4	0	0	0	59	0
SCQF level 5	0	0	0	67	0
SCQF level 6	0	0	0	54	0
SCQF level 7	0	0	0	0	37

Whilst qualifications associated with smaller numbers of SCQF credit points (e.g. one or two) are of the same level of difficulty as other courses at that SCQF Level, they may be achieved more quickly due to the smaller number of notional learning hours. This will have an impact on the patterns of attainment seen in the All SCQF measure.

Section 8.5 Other methodological details

8.5.1 Attainment and destinations data matching

The school leaver destinations data from SDS is matched to the SG pupil census and to SQA data, so that pupil characteristics and attainment data can be linked to the destinations. Only leavers from the SDS data with a match to the pupil census are included in the analysis within this publication. This means that some leavers are excluded from the analysis.

All matching is done within certain constraints:

• Pupil census record must be in S3 or above, or categorised as SP (Special School), or AD (Adult Learner) in order to be included.
• School attended must be the main school attended by the pupil.

After being matched to the pupil census the destination data are then matched to the SQA attainment data using the Scottish Candidate Number (SCN).

8.5.2 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) identifies small area concentrations of multiple deprivation across Scotland. The SIMD ranks small geographical areas – called data zones - from most deprived (ranked 1) to least deprived (ranked 6,976). The data zones can then be grouped into five quintiles, covering the 20% most deprived areas to the 20% least deprived areas.

In this publication, the SIMD is used to assess how the destinations and attainment of school leavers differ based on the level of deprivation in their home (or school) area. Pupils are assigned to a SIMD quintile based on the data zone recorded for their home address in the Scottish Government's pupil census. If the pupil does not have a data zone recorded in the pupil census data, the data zone of the pupil's school is used.

The SIMD is updated periodically (typically every three or four years) and therefore the SIMD used in these statistics is also updated in line with this to ensure that the most appropriate version is used. SIMD 2020 was used for the first time for the 2020/21 leaver cohort.

Section 8.6 Changes to the publication

Historically this publication has presented attainment in National Qualifications i.e. National 3, National 4, National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher and Skills for Work. However, many school pupils in Scotland take a range of other types of qualifications either instead of, or in addition to, National Qualifications. Consultation with a range of internal and external stakeholders demonstrated a user need for recognition of the wider range of attainment by pupils in schools in Scotland.

The All SCQF measure is an existing measure which has been used for a number of years by stakeholders in education to understand school pupils’ achievements. It has been available via ‘Insight’ - the benchmarking tool used by local authorities and schools - and to the public via the School Information Dashboard. These data have been included in this publication from this year, in order to report on a fuller range of attainment gained by school leavers. In order to do this a back series has been created so that, as for the National Qualifications measure, data are available from 2009-10.

Alongside introducing the All SCQF measure, we are continuing to report on attainment under the National Qualifications measure. Again, consultation with stakeholders identified a need to continue to report on this basis. The National Qualifications measure provides three of the key measures used by the Scottish Government in its National Improvement Framework to measure progress over time in closing the poverty-related attainment gap. By continuing to report on attainment under the National Qualifications measure, these statistics provide a consistent time series in measuring that progress.

Previous versions of this publication have included an ‘All SQA Qualifications Attainment’ measure as statistics in development (previously referred to as Experimental Statistics). These have not been updated for this release on the basis that the All SCQF measure (Section 5) provides a more complete picture of wider attainment amongst school leavers and so replaces the All SQA Qualifications measure. Data previously published for this measure remains available in previous versions of this publication.

Section 8.7 Impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on these statistics

8.7.1 School Leaver Destinations

The greatest effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on school leaver destinations is likely to have been seen in 2019-20 although it is likely that there has been some ongoing impact on the destinations of some 2020-21, 2021-22 and possibly 2022-23 school leavers.

2019-20

The availability of particular opportunities (employment opportunities, for example) to some 2019-20 school leavers was directly affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For example, the start dates of some opportunities were delayed, leading to a direct impact on the destinations recorded for some pupils. The pandemic may also have affected the ability of local partnerships to track the destinations of some school leavers through home visits.

In addition to this, the approach taken to the certification of SQA qualifications in 2020 will have affected the attainment of many 2019-20 school leavers. This may in turn have affected the destination choices and opportunities available to them. The pandemic may also have influenced pupils’ decisions on when to leave school (for example, delaying leaving from 2019-20 to 2020-21).

2020-21

For 2020-21 school leavers, it is likely that the pandemic continued to affect the choices made by, and opportunities available to, some school leavers for the reasons outlined above.

2021-22 and 2022-23

For 2021-22 and 2022-23 school leavers there may again be some ongoing impact on school leavers destinations, resulting from the effect of alternative approaches to certification of SQA qualifications since 2020.

The impacts of COVID-19 should therefore be kept in mind when considering changes over time in school leavers’ destinations.

8.7.2 School Leaver Attainment under the National Qualifications measure

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to the cancellation of National 5 (SCQF Level 5), Higher (SCQF Level 6) and Advanced Higher (SCQF Level 7) exams in 2020 and 2021, and alternative approaches were taken to determining grades.

In 2022, there was a return to the use of exams. These were supported by a package of measures such as course modifications and revision support, which were designed to address the ongoing disruption to learning and teaching which young people had experienced, while maintaining standards. In addition a more generous approach to grading was adopted to help ensure fairness for learners.

In 2023, normal awarding procedures were in place. However, a sensitive approach to grading was adopted which was intended to provide an extra layer of protection for learners in light of ongoing impacts of the pandemic.

The National Qualifications measure also includes Skills for Work courses. Some further detail of arrangements for these courses can be found in Section 8.7.3.

Overall pass rates for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher were higher in 2020 and 2021 than they had been in 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year of exams). In 2022 overall pass rates reduced compared to 2020 and 2021, although they remained above 2019 levels. In 2023, overall pass rates again reduced compared to the previous three years, but still remained above 2019 levels.

The National Qualifications measure takes account of the qualifications pupils have gained throughout their schooling and so some leavers will have attainment gained under a variety of different approaches to grading. The different approaches to awards and grading between 2020 and 2023 will have affected the attainment of many school leavers between 2019-20 and 2022-23 presented in this report. The biggest impacts are likely to have been seen for leavers in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22, with the higher National Qualification pass rates in 2020 and 2021 likely to have resulted in higher levels of attainment for some school leavers in these years. There may still be effects for some leavers in 2022-23. A dashed line break in the series has been placed between 2018-19 and 2019-20. This indicates that care must be taken when comparing attainment of school leavers in 2018-19 and before, with that of school leavers in 2019-20 and beyond.

In addition, care should also be taken when comparing the attainment of 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 school leavers. Interpretation of changes must take full account of the different certification methods used in different years, and changes in the attainment levels in 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 should not be seen as an indication that performance has improved or worsened, without further evidence.

8.7.3 School Leaver Attainment under the All SCQF measure

Many of the qualifications included in the All SCQF measure are the SQA National Qualifications. The changes to the assessment and certification of these in 2019-20 and in subsequent years, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are outlined in the previous section (Section 8.7.2). In addition, the assessment and certification of the other qualifications in the All SCQF measure also changed in 2019-20 and subsequent years, in response to the pandemic.

For example in 2020, for SQA National Certificates, National Progression Awards, Skills for Work courses, and other Awards, schools, colleges, employers and training providers could provide SQA with the results of internal assessment decisions using their teaching experience of candidates’ work through the year.

In 2021 the approach for these qualifications was adapted depending on the circumstances and on what level of assessment evidence could be produced. In some cases assessment continued as normal. In others providers could use permitted adaptations in line with SQA guidance to generate assessment evidence. Where this was still not possible centres were advised to carry out holistic assessments to meet the aims of many of these awards and any critical competences for that award. In circumstances where this remained impossible, assessment may have been postponed.

Other qualifications may have required different approaches to assessment and certification throughout this period.

As for the National Qualifications measure, care must therefore be taken when comparing attainment of school leavers in 2018-19 and before, with that of school leavers in 2019-20 and beyond. Care should also be taken when comparing the attainment of 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 school leavers. Interpretation of changes must take full account of the different certification methods used in different years, and changes in the attainment levels in 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 should not be seen as an indication that performance has improved or worsened, without further evidence.

Section 8.8 Literacy and numeracy attainment

When the publication refers to Literacy or Numeracy attainment, a pupil is counted towards having literacy or numeracy attainment if they have passed courses or units from the list below.

SCQF Level 3 Literacy

• National 3 English
• National 3 English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
• National 3 Gàidhlig
• National 3 Literacy unit
• SCQF Level 3 Communication unit
• National 3 Gàidhlig Literacy unit
• National 3 ESOL unit group

SCQF Level 4 Literacy

• National 4 English
• National 4 ESOL
• National 4 Gàidhlig
• National 4 Skills for Work (SfW) Travel and Tourism
• National 4 Literacy unit
• SCQF Level 4 Communication unit
• National 4 Gàidhlig Literacy unit
• National 4 ESOL unit group

SCQF Level 5 Literacy

• National 5 English
• National 5 ESOL
• National 5 Gàidhlig
• National 5 SfW Travel and Tourism
• National 5 Literacy unit
• SCQF Level 5 Communication unit
• National 5 Gàidhlig Literacy unit
• National 5 English unit group
• National 5 ESOL unit group
• National 5 Gàidhlig unit group

SCQF Level 3 Numeracy

• National 3 Applications of Mathematics
• National 3 Gniomhachas Matamataigs (Applications of Mathematics)
• National 3 Numeracy unit
• National 3 Aireamhachd (Numeracy) unit
• SCQF Level 3 Numeracy unit

SCQF Level 4 Numeracy

• National 4 Applications of Mathematics
• National 4 Mathematics
• National 4 Gniomhachas Matamataigs (Applications of Mathematics)
• National 4 Matamataig (Mathematics)
• National 4 Numeracy unit
• National 4 Aireamhachd (Numeracy) unit
• SCQF Level 4 Numeracy unit

SCQF Level 5 Numeracy

• National 5 Applications of Mathematics
• National 5 Mathematics
• National 5 Gniomhachas Matamataigs (Applications of Mathematics)
• National 5 Matamataig (Mathematics)
• National 5 Numeracy unit
• National 5 Aireamhachd (Numeracy) unit
• SCQF Level 5 Numeracy unit
• SCQF Level 5 Data Science unit
• National 5 Applications of Mathematics unit group
• National 5 Mathematics unit group
• National 5 Gniomhachas Matamataigs (Applications of Mathematics) unit group

Section 8.9 Cost

8.9.1 Attainment

There is no additional cost to SQA to supply the attainment data.

8.9.2 Leavers

As part of the overall approach to delivering the Scottish Government’s Opportunities for All commitment the follow-up of school leavers is a business-as-usual activity for Skills Development Scotland and costs are embedded within their daily operations.

Section 8.10 UK comparisons

8.10.1 Attainment

Scotland has a different set of qualifications to the rest of the United Kingdom (UK) and comparisons cannot be made directly. Scotland, and the other UK countries, participate in the Programme for International Assessment (PISA) survey on education performance.

8.10.2 Destinations

The information presented here is for young people who have left school, while in England and Wales information is collected on 16-19 year-olds who are not in education, employment or training. As a result, direct comparisons cannot be made.

Section 8.11 Where you can access the data

More information on school leavers’ initial destinations and attainment are available in the supplementary tables. These include breakdowns of the data by: characteristics of leavers; local authority; reasons for Additional Support Need; stage of leaving; and subject. Some tables also include information on the initial destinations and attainment of leavers from special schools.

School leaver cohort:

• Tables C1.1a and C1.1b: Number and percentage of secondary school leavers by stage of leaving, 2009-10 to 2022-23

School leaver initial destinations:

• Table L1.1: Percentage of secondary school leavers by initial destination category, 1992-93 to 2022-23
• Table L1.2: Percentage of secondary school leavers by initial destination category and sex, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table L1.3: Percentage of secondary school leavers by initial destination category and 6-fold Urban Rural classification, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table L1.4: Percentage of secondary school leavers by initial destination category and ethnic background, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table L1.5: Percentage of secondary school leavers by initial destination category and national identity, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table L1.6: Percentage of secondary school leavers by initial destination category and whether declared or assessed disabled, 2009-10 and 2014-15 to 2022-23
• Table L2.1: Percentage of secondary school leavers by initial destination category and local authority, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table L2.1a: Number of secondary school leavers by initial destination category and local authority, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table L3.1: Percentage of secondary and special school leavers by initial destination category and reason for Additional Support Need, 2009-10 to 2022-23

School leaver attainment under the National Qualifications measure:

• Table N1.1: Percentage of secondary school leavers by highest SCQF Level achieved under the National Qualifications measure and SIMD quintile, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table N1.2: Percentage of secondary school leavers by total attainment under the National Qualifications measure and SIMD quintile, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Tables N1.3a and N1.3b: Number and percentage of secondary school leavers by highest SCQF Level achieved in each subject under the National Qualifications measure, 2011-12 to 2022-23
• Tables N1.4a and N1.4b: Number and percentage of secondary school leavers with no attainment at SCQF Level 3 or better under the National Qualifications measure, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table N2.1: Percentage of secondary school leavers by highest SCQF Level achieved under the National Qualifications measure, by local authority, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Tables N2.2a and N2.2b: Number and percentage of secondary school leavers by total qualifications attained under the National Qualifications measure, by local authority and SIMD; 2012-13 to 2022-23
• Table N3.1: Percentage of secondary and special school leavers by highest SCQF Level achieved under the National Qualifications measure and reasons for Additional Support Need, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table N3.2: Percentage of secondary and special school leavers by total attainment under the National Qualifications measure and reasons for Additional Support Need, 2009-10 to 2022-23

School leaver attainment under the All SCQF measure:

• Table S1.1: Percentage of secondary school leavers by highest SCQF Level achieved under the All SCQF measure and SIMD quintile, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table S1.2: Percentage of secondary school leavers by total attainment under the All SCQF measure and SIMD quintile, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Table S2.1: Percentage of secondary school leavers by highest SCQF Level achieved under the all SCQF measure, by local authority, 2009-10 to 2022-23
• Tables S2.2a and S2.2b: Number and percentage of secondary school leavers by total qualifications attained under the All SCQF measure, by local authority and SIMD, 2022-23

School leaver attainment in other groups of qualifications:

• Table Z1.1: Number of secondary school leavers attaining Foundation Apprenticeships by subject, 2019-20 to 2022-23. (Note these are Official Statistics in Development).
• Tables Z2.1a and Z2.1b: Number and percentage of secondary and special school leavers attaining vocational and technical ('skills-based') qualifications and awards at SCQF Levels 2 to 7, by local authority, 2013-14 to 2022-23

Data on school leaver attainment and destinations is also available via the Scottish Government’s open data platform.

Section 8.12 Further sources of information on school pupils’ attainment, and school leaver destinations

This publication is available on the Scottish Government’s website.

School level information is available through Insight (a professional benchmarking tool used by local authorities and schools) and will be published on the School Information Dashboard.

The scope of these destination statistics is limited to school leavers, but other sources are available to assess patterns across wider society. For example, information on employment trends more broadly is available from the Scottish Government labour market statistics website, and the Scottish Funding Council publishes data on participation in Higher Education.

The Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) have developed the Annual Participation Measure (APM) which complements school leaver destination statistics. Published every August, the APM captures the activity of all 16-19 year-olds across a complete year, including those who choose to stay on at school as well as those who have left school. The APM has been adopted as the metric for measuring success in relation to the young people’s participation national indicator within the National Performance Framework. The indicator measures the percentage of young adults (16-19 year-olds) participating in education, training or employment. Latest results were published in August.

Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels is a census based data collection and gathers data on whether or not pupils have achieved the expected CfE Level for their stage based on the class teachers’ professional judgement. The collection covers numeracy and the three elements of literacy (reading, writing, listening and talking) at four stages within Broad General Education: P1, P4, P7 and S3.

Scotland participates in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) triennial Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey. This assessment is undertaken by 15 year-olds in almost eighty countries, including all OECD countries, and as such is a key international benchmark of performance. Results are available on the Scottish Government website.

Skills Development Scotland publish Foundation Apprenticeship Progress Reports on an annual basis. These include data on the number of young people undertaking Foundation Apprenticeships in Scotland.

The list below provides summary information for some of the key sources of data on attainment and the activity of young people in Scotland.

1. Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations (this publication).

• Available from the Scottish Government, February.
• Provides information on the attainment of school leavers and on the activities being undertaken by school leavers 3 months after the end of the school year.
• Coverage: school leavers from publicly funded schools.

2. Summary Statistics for Follow-up Leaver Destinations.

• Available from the Scottish Government, June.
• Provides information on the activities being undertaken by school leavers 9 months after the end of the school year.
• Coverage: school leavers from publicly funded schools.

3. Annual Participation Measure.

• Available from Skills Development Scotland, August.
• Reports on the economic and employment activity of the wider 16-19 year-old cohort, including those at school.
• Coverage: all 16-19 year-olds.

4. Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels.

• Available from the Scottish Government, December.
• Provides information on the performance of P1, P4, P7 and S3 school pupils. Reports on the percentage of pupils who have achieved the expected Curriculum for Excellence level in reading, writing, listening and talking, and numeracy.
• Coverage: all P1, P4, P7 and S3 pupils in publicly funded schools. (Not collected in 2019/20. Collected for primary school pupils only in 2020/21).

5. SQA Attainment Statistics.

• Available from Scottish Qualifications Authority, August and December.
• Attainment statistics for every course and qualification in a given year.
• Coverage: all SQA attainment, not just that of school leavers; and includes those attaining SQA qualifications in non-school settings such as Further Education.