Summary statistics for follow-up leaver destinations, no. 5: 2023 edition

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 School leaver follow-up destinations

This publication provides information on the follow-up destinations of 2021/22 school leavers. It relates to outcomes approximately nine months after the end of the school year (the first Monday in April 2023).

A separate publication – 'Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 5: 2023 edition' – published in February 2023 provided information on the initial destinations of 2021/22 school leavers approximately three months after the end of the school year (the first Monday in October 2022).

School leaver destinations data is based on the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) 'Opportunities for All' shared dataset, matched with pupil census records for the school year 2021/22.

A school leaver is defined as a young person of school leaving age, who left school during or at the end of the school year. For 2021/22 school leavers, the leaver year is 15^th September 2021 to 13^th September 2022. For more information on how this data is collected, see sections 4.3 and 4.4.

This publication covers school leavers from all stages of secondary school. For most young people, S4 (≈15-16 year olds) is the last compulsory year of school, but the majority choose to stay on and complete S5 (≈16-17 year olds) and S6 (≈17-18 year olds). (Pupil ages per stage are approximate; more information is available from the Pupil Census supplementary tables).

Figures in this publication are based on pupils in publicly funded mainstream schools, in the 32 local authorities and one grant aided school.

Destinations are grouped in the following categories:

1.2 Impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on these statistics

The time series presented in this publication includes years where school leaver destinations are likely to have been affected – either directly or indirectly – by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The greatest impact of the pandemic on school leaver destinations is likely to have been seen in 2019/20. However, it is likely that there has been some ongoing impact on the destinations of some 2020/21 and 2021/22 school leavers.

The impacts of the pandemic should be kept in mind when comparing statistics on follow-up destinations for 2021/22, 2020/21, and 2019/20 school leavers, and when comparing statistics for these leaver cohorts to previous years. They should also be considered when comparing initial and follow-up destinations within each of these years.

The impacts of the pandemic include:

• Reduced availability of some destinations (e.g. employment), and/or start dates for some destinations being delayed. This will mainly have impacted destinations in 2019/20.
• The effect of different approaches to certification of SQA qualifications in 2020, 2021 and 2022 on pupils' attainment. This may have influenced the choices and opportunities available to some school leavers.
• A possible influence on some pupils' decisions on when to leave school. In some cases this may have affected their overall attainment and, as above, have influenced the choices and opportunities available to them.

More information is available in section 4.2.

How can I use school leaver follow-up destination figures?

Do use school leaver follow-up destination figures:

• as an accurate reflection of school leavers' (follow-up) destinations in each year;
• to compare the destinations of different groups of school leavers within each year;
• to make comparisons over time of the destinations of school leavers – while bearing in mind the impacts of COVID-19.

Do not use school leaver follow-up destination figures:

• without considering the impact that COVID-19 may have had each year on the availability of particular opportunities, on pupils' attainment and on their decisions on when to leave school.