Committee hears analysis of secondary school attainment
The latest analysis of secondary school attainment in Aberdeenshire in 2023/24 has highlighted the positive achievements of young people in the Shire.
A report on the data was brought to the Education and Children’s Services Committee on Thursday (January 30).
Committee heard that the cohort of S4, S5 and S6 pupils taking awards increased from 6,220 in 2018 to 6,884 in 2024.
Headlines of young people’s attainment are as follows:
- In 2024, 51.79% of S4 pupils attained five or more awards at SCQF Level 5 or better
- At SCQF Level 6, 44.26% of S5 pupils achieved three or more awards
- Meanwhile, 37.57% of S6 pupils secured five or more awards at Level 6
Head of Education Susan Smith said: “It’s important to acknowledge and congratulate our young people and staff in our schools on their successes and to recognise the invaluable support of parents and carers in gaining these awards.
“The landscape has changed considerably since 2019 and the cohort who sat S4 exams last year were the young people whose transition into S1 were those affected by Covid. All of our young people have done well to achieve success despite the disrupted learning they experienced at that time.
“There have been very different approaches to awarding each year since 2019, meaning comparisons of attainment make it difficult for meaningful conclusions to be drawn on changes in education performance during this time.
“We also have a high number of young people - over 800 - successfully completing Foundation Apprenticeships and National Progression Awards. These are not all included in the data but contribute significantly to young people’s successes and ultimately the positive destinations that they go on to.”
Data indicates strong performance in key areas, with Aberdeenshire’s leavers frequently exceeding national benchmarks.
• 90.1% of leavers achieved literacy and numeracy at SCQF Level 4 or better
• 71.1% of leavers attained literacy and numeracy at Level 5 or better
• 96.75% of leavers gained at least one award at Level 4 or better
• 90.4% of leavers achieved at least one award at Level 5 or better
• 64.3% of leavers attained at least one award at Level 6 or better
• 67.9% of leavers achieved 5+ awards at Level 5 or better
• 50.6% of leavers secured 3+ awards at Level 6
• 35.3% of leavers earned 5+ awards at Level 6
Head of Education Susan Smith added: “We are incredibly proud of all Aberdeenshire pupils for their hard work and dedication in achieving these results.
“Their commitment, along with the support of staff, and families, has been commendable and every achievement reflects their resilience and effort.”