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17 in 2003 - Scotland's Young People: Findings from the Scottish School Leavers Survey

Simon Anderson, Andy Biggart, Kirsty Deacon, Andy Furlong, Lisa Given and Kerstin Hinds

Prepared for the Scottish Executive Education Department

December 2004

This document is also available in pdf format (628k)

The views expressed in the report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Executive or any other organisation(s) by which the author(s) is/are employed.

The Scottish Executive is making this research report available on-line in order to provide access to its contents for those interested in the subject. The Executive commissioned the research but has not exercised editorial control over the report.

The Executive has not published this full report in hard copy, but a summary has been published in the Research Findings series.

The publication Education Research Programme Research Findings No4/2004: "Findings from the Scottish School Leavers Survey: 17 in 2003" is also available online at www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/edrf4-00.asp with a limited print run available from the Dissemination Officer, Information, Analysis & Communication Division, Scottish Executive Education Department, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ (telephone 0131-244-0316).

Both reports were published on 6 December 2004.

Contents

List of tables
List of figures
Acknowledgments
Summary of findings

1 introduction
1.1 The Scottish School Leavers Survey Series
1.2 Methods
1.3 Structure of the report

2 About S4
2.1 Views and experiences of school in S4
2.1.1 Attitudes to how well school prepared you for the future
2.1.2 Experiences of school in S4
2.2 Getting help and advice
2.2.1 Help from teachers
2.2.2 Advice about what do after S4
2.2.3 Careers advice
2.3 Truancy and exclusion
2.3.1 Truancy
2.3.2 Exclusion and suspension
2.4 Experience of work
2.4.1 Work experience organised by school
2.4.2 Part time jobs in S4
2.5 Key points

3 After S4
3.1 Stage of leaving school
3.2 Leaving before S5
3.3 Staying on for S5
3.3.1 Reasons for staying on
3.3.2 Role of Education Maintenance Allowance
3.4 Key points

4 Main activity and circumstances at 17
4.1 Main activity in Spring 2003
4.2 Further Education
4.2.1 Participation in FE
4.2.2 Full time or part time study
4.2.3 Subjects studied
4.2.4 Qualifications studied for
4.3 Jobs and training
4.3.1 Industry and occupation
Industry
Occupation
4.3.2 About the job
Hours
How the job was found
4.3.3 Training
4.3.4 Attitudes to the job
4.3.5 Part time work
4.3.6 Looking for jobs/training
4.4 Domestic circumstances of 17 year-olds
4.4.1 Living arrangements
4.4.2 Amenities in the home
4.4.3 Parents' attitudes to work and education
4.5 Key points

5 The future
5.1 Expectations
5.2 Aspirations
5.3 Key points

6 S4 Standard Grade Qualifications
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Standard Grades and GCSE's
6.3 Factors associated with Standard Grade attainment
6.4 Predicting Credit Level Standard Grade Attainment
6.5 Standard Grade Attainment at individual grades
6.6 Core Skills: Literacy and Numeracy at Standard Grade
6.7 Key points

7 The Disadvantaged
7.1 Types of disadvantage and labour market entry
7.2 NEET
7.2.1 Prevalence of NEET in the SLSS
7.3 Characteristics of NEET
7.4 Turbulent beginnings
7.5 Precarious jobs
7.6 Key points

8 Bibliography

9 Appendix A: Technical Notes
9.1 Percentages
9.2 Bases
9.3 Estimating the precision of estimates
9.4 Combining columns of a table
9.5 School type
9.6 Social Class
9.7 Sample size
9.8 Survey non-response

List of tables
Table 1-1 Response figures for the 2003 survey
Table 2-1 Attitudes to school by number of Standard Grades
Table 2-2 Attitudes to school by stage of leaving school
Table 2-3 Attitudes to school by parents' social class
Table 2-4 Experiences of school in S4 by gender
Table 2-5 Experiences of school in S4 by number of Standard Grades
Table 2-6 Help from teachers by gender
Table 2-7 Help from teachers by number of Standard Grades
Table 2-8 Help from teachers by stage of leaving school
Table 2-9 Advice about what to do after S4 by gender
Table 2-10 Best advice given about what to do after S4
Table 2-11 Advice about what to do after S4 by number of Standard Grades
Table 2-12 Advice about what to do after S4 by stage of leaving school
Table 2-13 Careers advice by gender
Table 2-14 Careers advice by number of Standard Grades
Table 2-15 Careers advice by truancy
Table 2-16 Truancy: 1999 & 2003
Table 2-17 Truancy by number of Standard Grades
Table 2-18 Truancy by stage of leaving school
Table 2-19 Truancy by parents' social class
Table 2-20 Truancy by parental education
Table 2-21 Whether excluded or suspended in S4
Table 2-22 Unpaid work experience in S4 by gender
Table 2-23 Unpaid work experience in S4 by stage of leaving school
Table 2-24 Unpaid work experience in S4 by number of standard grades
Table 2-25 Part time work in S4 by gender
Table 3-1 Stage of leaving school by sex
Table 3-2 Stage of leaving school by parents' social class
Table 3-3 Stage of leaving school by parental education
Table 3-4 Reasons for leaving before S5 by sex - 1999 and 2003 surveys
Table 3-5 Reasons for leaving before S5 by parental education
Table 3-6 Reasons for starting S5 by sex
Table 3-7 Receipt of EMA and reason for staying on in S5 by school region
Table 3-8 Receipt of EMA by parents' social class
Table 4-1 Main activity in April 2003 by sex
Table 4-2 Main activity in April 2003 by number of Standard Grades
Table 4-3 Main activity in April 2003 by stage of leaving school
Table 4-4 Main activity in April 2003 by main activity in October 2002
Table 4-5 Main activity in October 2003 by main activity in April 2003
Table 4-6 Main activity in April 2003 by parents' educational attainment
Table 4-7 Whether currently studying at college/university by number of Standard Grades and sex
Table 4-8 Whether studying full time or part time by sex
Table 4-9 Subjects studied by sex
Table 4-10 Qualification(s) studied for by sex
Table 4-11 Industry worked in (SIC) by Training Status and sex
Table 4-12 Occupation (SOC) by training status and sex
Table 4-13 Occupation (SOC) by number of Standard Grades
Table 4-14 Income from benefits and/or employment (after deductions) by job status and sex (full time workers only)
Table 4-15 Income from benefits and/or employment (after deductions) by job status and sex (full time workers only)
Table 4-16 Mean hourly wages (after deductions) by type of employment and sex
Table 4-17 Income from benefits and/or employment (after deductions) by number of Standard Grades (full time workers only)
Table 4-18 Income from benefits and/or employment (after deductions) by stage of leaving school (full time workers only)
Table 4-19 Method of finding job by training status
Table 4-20 Training received by Training status and sex
Table 4-21 Training received by number of Standard Grades
Table 4-22 Training received by Training status and whether leads to a qualification or not.
Table 4-23 Attitudes towards job/training scheme by Training status and sex
Table 4-24 Attitudes towards job/training scheme by number of Standard Grades
Table 4-25 Whether currently has part time job by sex
Table 4-26 Looking for jobs by sex
Table 4-27 Looking for jobs by main activity in Spring 2003
Table 4-28 Tenure by region
Table 4-29 Items available in the home
Table 4-30 Parents' attitudes to work and education by sex
Table 5-1 Expected activity in one year's time by sex
Table 5-2 Expected activity in one year's time by number of Standard Grades
Table 5-3 Expected activity in one year's time by main activity in Autumn 2003
Table 5-4 What would like to do in the future by sex
Table 5-5 What would like to do in the future by number of Standard Grades
Table 5-6 What would like to do in the future by parents' social class
Table 6-1 Number of Standard Grades/GCSE's by sex
Table 6-2 Number of Standard Grades by sex
Table 6-3 Number of Standard Grades by stage of leaving school
Table 6-4 Number of Standard Grades by parents' social class
Table 6-5 Number of Standard Grades by parental education
Table 6-6 Number of Standard Grades by living arrangements during S4
Table 6-7 Number of Standard Grades by stage by housing tenure
Table 6-8 Number of Standard Grades by whether or not in a Social Inclusion Partnership Area
Table 6-9 Number of Standard Grades by truancy during S4
Table 6-10 Standard Grade English by sex
Table 6-11 Standard Grade Maths by sex
Table 6-12 English Standard Grades by Parent's Social Class
Table 6-13 Standard Grade Maths by Social Class
Table 6-14 Percentage gap in Standard Grade English according to social class and gender
Table 6-15 Percentage cap in Standard Grade Maths according to social class and gender
Table 7-1 Indicators of disadvantage, by gender
Table 7-2 Indicators of disadvantage, by stage of leaving school
Table 7-3 Indicators of disadvantage, by current status
Table 7-4 Disaggregation of NEET based on current status
Table 7-5 Estimates of NEET based on different definitions (%)
Table 7-6 Young workers receiving no training, by type of job held (%)
Table 7-7 Young workers' wage rates (%)

List of figures
Figure 6-1 Percentage achieving no Standard Grades at Credit Level (1-2) by various characteristics according to gender
Figure 6-2 Mean Number of Standard Grades at each Grade by Sex
Figure 7-1 Monthly status changes between July 2002 and October 2002
Figure 7-2 Reasons for being NEET
Figure 7-3 Characteristcs of NEET
Figure 7-4 Future perspectives of NEET and Non-NEET
Figure 7-5 Current status of young people who have encountered a three-month period of unemployment
Figure 7-6 Disadvantage and early career dissatisfaction

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