SEVERAL factors are at play for young people deciding to leave school before sixth year in Argyll and Bute, officials have said.
A report recently revealed 41.8 per cent of pupils who left school in the area in the 2024/25 session did so before S6.
A councillor queried the statistic at a meeting, where council education managers highlighted possible factors, as well as the high number of positive leaver destinations being achieved.
The discussion took place at a meeting of the council’s community services committee on Thursday, March 5.
Councillor Jan Brown (SNP, Mid Argyll) asked about why the figures for pupils leaving school before S6 were so high.
Head of education Jennifer Crocket responded: “It is something we have spoken about locally and nationally since the pandemic. There are a range of factors and the ones for each pupil are relevant to them.
“The impact of the pandemic has changed the landscape about how young people feel about education. The focus on developing the young workforce has meant a different range of opportunities available.
“The impact of poverty will also have an effect on decisions that young people are making, as many of them want to get out there and earn money, and are finding their way to modern apprenticeships and employment.
“We have focused on what our schools can offer to encourage young people to come back, as it is important that expectations are high for young people at that stage of life.
“We are trying to prepare them for the world of work, but we have tried to ensure a broad range of curricular opportunities to ensure a leaver has currency to go into the world of work.
“Sometimes it can be a mix of vocational qualifications. We believe it to be an ever-changing picture, but it is something we have to be on top of and respond to.
“We need to ensure, as a service, we are open minded and listen to the aspirations and needs of our young people.”
Head of education Wendy Brownlie added: “Financial pressures are increasingly on families. Until recently modern apprenticeships were fairly poorly paid, but young people were happy to go into them because they could earn while they learned.
“It now meets the minimum wage, and that has been an attraction for some young people for whom that style of learning has been a benefit.
“The other thing giving us hope and positivity is the initial levers’ destination, which was 94.8 per cent.
“We will have the final positive leaver destinations brought back to the committee in December, and that will be an important picture that really finishes the story for this group of leavers.”
