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School attainment and qualifications of school leavers in Scotland: 1997-98
24/08/1999
The Education Department has today published a Statistical Bulletin giving details of attainment of pupils at school and qualifications of school leavers in Scotland.
The main findings are:
Attainment of pupils at school:
· In 1997-98, 33 per cent of pupils in S4 obtained 5 or more Standard Grades at levels 1-2 compared with 25 per cent in 1992-93. The percentage of pupils with 5 or more Standard Grades at levels 1-4 showed a similar rise, increasing from 67 per cent to 74 per cent in this period.
· As a percentage of the relevant S4 cohort, 22 per cent of pupils in S5 gained 3 or more Highers in 1997-98, a slight increase compared with the 1992-93 figure of 21 per cent.
· In 1997-98, almost 93 per cent of the S4 roll achieved a Standard Grade at levels 1-6 in English while 92 per cent achieved awards at levels 1-6 in Mathematics.
· In 1997-98, 68 per cent of pupils in S5 gained National Certificate modules compared with 50 per cent of S4 pupils.
School leavers:
· Just under 62,500 pupils left Scottish schools in 1997-98, a fall of 3,500 on the previous year.
· In 1997-98, 30 per cent of pupils left at the school leaving age. This percentage has remained stable at 30 per cent since 1992-93.
· A larger proportion of boys than girls leave school at the school leaving age. In 1997-98, 34 per cent of boys left at the school leaving age compared with 26 per cent of girls.
· In publicly funded secondary schools, the percentage of pupils staying on into S5 was 77 per cent in 1997-98, with 67 per cent staying on beyond the first term in the fifth year. The percentage staying on has been steady since 1993-94.
· In publicly funded secondary schools, 42 per cent of pupils stayed on into S6 in 1997-98. This percentage has been stable at about 42 per cent since 1993-94.
· The proportion of leavers who held 5 or more Standard Grades at level 1-3 or better (ie 1 or more Highers), has improved steadily from 44 per cent in 1987-88 to 57 per cent in 1997-98.
· In 1997-98, 30 per cent of leavers held 3 or more Higher passes, compared with 23 per cent a decade earlier in 1987-88.
· In 1997-98, 32 per cent of pupils left school with qualifications at former ASCETT level 3 while 62 per cent achieved at least level 2.
· The gap between the proportion of girls and boys with 3 or more Higher passes is widening. In 1997-98, 35 per cent of girls left school with 3 or more Higher passes compared with 26 per cent of boys. The corresponding figures for 1987-88 were 25 per cent for girls and 21 per cent for boys.
BACKGROUND
1. The Statistical Bulletin, School Attainment and Qualifications of School Leavers in Scotland: 1997-98, Edn/E2/1999/4, is published today by The Scottish Executive Education Department. It is available from:
The Stationery Office Bookshop,
71 Lothian Road,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9AZ,
Telephone (0131) 622 7050, Price £2.
2. Copies of the bulletin will be delivered shortly to Edinburgh media outlets. Mercury and Profile subscribers can obtain a copy by telephoning the number at the end of this release.
News Release: SE0390/99
24 August, 1999