School leavers going well

School leavers in the Stirling area are entering ‘positive destinations’ at record levels.

New figures released by the Scottish Government have shown that leavers from Stirling Council schools are finding work, entering higher education or finding apprenticeships in record numbers.

The new statistics have revealed that 93.3 per cent on school leavers in Stirling went on to a positive initial destination in 2015/16, up more than 2.5 per cent on the previous year.

The new figure is the highest percentage since 2011/12.

Commenting on the newly released figures, Stirling Council’s education convener, Councillor Alistair Berrill, said: “A priority area for us has been to improve the number of our school leavers obtaining a ‘positive destination’ and I’m delighted that over the past five years we have consistently improved the numbers going on to apprenticeships, training, higher education and jobs that has culminated in these record figures.

“Making sure there is the widest possible set of choices and effective advice available to our school leavers is crucial so they can make informed bespoke decisions. We must maintain the emphasis to make sure even more do so every year.”

In Clackmannanshire, 90.2 per cent of leavers went on to a positive destination in 2015/16, down 2.3 per cent on the previous year.

The figures for Stirling are in line with the national average, whilst Clackmannanshire currently sits 3.1 per cent below the national average.