Summary Statistics for Follow-up leaver Destinations, No. 1: 2019 Edition

Chapter 4: Forthcoming reporting

4.1 User Consultation

In September 2017, a consultation was conducted seeking users’ views on possible future developments to Scottish Government school leaver destination statistical outputs, and information on use made of these statistics more generally.

Following analysis of the consultation findings a refined publication plan was put in place:

• cease publication of the ‘Initial Destinations of Senior Phase School Leavers’ statistical report (senior phase leavers only; S4-S6)
• bring forward publication of school leaver attainment and school leaver initial destinations from June to February (all leavers; S3 and above), starting in 2019
• publish school leaver follow-up destinations in June 2019 (all leavers; S3 and above) and explore feasibility of producing a new measure of long-term outcomes for school leavers’.

Full results of the user consultation can be found here: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/scotstat/EduConsultationHistory/ConsultationLeavers 

4.2 Future Reporting

The reporting schedule of school leaver attainment and destination statistics has changed in 2019 to better meet user needs.  This is the first edition of ‘Summary Statistics for Follow-up Leaver Destinations’.  In February 2019 the first edition of ‘Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations’ was published.  Both of these publications report on all school leavers.  In previous years all of these statistics were published in June in ‘Summary Statistics for Attainment, Leaver Destinations and Healthy Living’.  These changes reflect the results from the user consultation which was conducted in September 2017, see section 4.1 for more information. 

The Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland are currently investigating methods to develop a new measure of long-term outcomes for school leavers using a methodology based on that used for the Annual Participation Measure (APM).  We will consult with stakeholders on this in due course and, if feasible, the intention is that it will replace the existing school leaver follow-up destination measure.  For further information about the Annual Participation Measure produced by Skills Development Scotland see background note 5.9.