THE proportion of school leavers going into higher or further education has reached a record high of 72%.

However, the overall proportion of school leavers going into “positive destinations” has decreased to 93%. Education Secretary John Swinney said this was due to the pandemic affecting opportunities for employment, with a notable fall in young people entering the workforce.

The National Records of Scotland figures for higher and further education increased from 68% in 2019 to 72% in 2020. Positive destinations, which include work, training or further study, went from 95% to 93% over the same period.

Swinney said: “Despite the challenges of Covid-19, it is heartening to see a continued high proportion of our pupils in positive destinations after leaving school, with a record percentage continuing in further and higher education.

“This year’s statistics clearly highlight the impact of the pandemic on young people, with a sizeable decrease in those entering employment reflecting the limited opportunities in the labour market.”

He said the pandemic had made attempts to close the poverty-related income gap more difficult, adding: “While official measures of the attainment gap rose slightly over the year, the proportion of leavers from the most deprived areas gaining one pass or more at a given level or better rose at most SCQF levels and the attainment gap is much smaller than it was in 2009/10.”