Education Outcomes for Looked After Children 2023/24
The Scottish Government has today (26 August) published the national Education Outcomes for Looked After Children for 2023-24 statistics report.
The report includes information on the attendance and Curriculum for Excellence stages for ‘looked after’ children in Scotland, and the attainment and leaver destinations of ‘looked after’ school leavers in 2023/24.
The report shows that there are still gaps in attainment compared to the total population of pupils in Scotland, with the attainment rate for school leavers who were ‘looked after’ within the year (1,047 young people) decreasing compared to 2022-23.
For pupils who were ‘looked after’ at any point from 1 August 2023 – 31 July 2024, 72.4% of school leavers gained one or more qualifications at SCQF level 4 or better (down from 75.7% in 2022-23) and 85.3% of school leavers went on to an initial positive destination (for example higher or further education, training, or employment) after leaving school (down from 86.4% in 2022-23).
This year’s report also includes data on the attainment and post school destinations of an additional 400 school leavers who were ‘looked after’ for some duration since turning 12 years old and a further 624 school leavers who were ‘looked after’ for some duration between the ages of five and 12.
The attendance rate for ‘looked after’ children in Scotland across primary, secondary and special schools (9,947 pupils) was 83.7% in 2023/24 (down from 84.4% in 2022/23).
For ‘looked after’ children in P1, P4, P7 or S3 (2,070 pupils), a lower proportion achieved Curriculum for Excellence Levels (CfE) relevant to their stage compared with all pupils, with the largest gaps in numeracy and writing. Data on exclusion rates are reported on every second year and not included in this report.
The report uses the current legal definition of ‘Looked After Children’ under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, which is broadly defined as children in the care of their local authority.