Educational attainment of school leavers
type: Dataset
theme: Education, Skills and Training
timeliness: A 3-year rolling average dataset, starting with the 3-year period 2011/12 - 2013/14. It is updated on an annual basis.
validity: This indicator is based on pupils' qualifications at the point of leaving school. The qualifications included are National Qualifications and Skills for Work. Other qualifications at equivalent Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels - for example, National Progression Awards and National Certificates - are not included in this measure. Information on school leavers' attainment in other qualifications can be found in the National Statistics publication 'Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations', which can be accessed from the webpage: [https://www.gov.scot/collections/school-education-statistics/](https://www.gov.scot/collections/school-education-statistics/) The Scottish Government only collects information on pupils in publicly funded schools, therefore this indicator does not include information on pupils attending an independent school.
accuracy: Quality checks are conducted by Scottish Government. The data are based on three census collections: the Scottish Government's annual pupil census, post-appeals qualifications data submitted by Qualifications Scotland (formerly Scottish Qualifications Authority), and the school leaver dataset supplied by Skills Development Scotland. The known gaps in the data are qualifications for independent school pupils.
consistency: Scotland has a different set of qualifications to the rest of the UK and comparisons cannot be made directly.
uniqueness: Not assessed
completeness: These data are from the same sources and follow the same quality assurance processes as the school leaver attainment statistics in the National Statistics publication 'Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations', which can be accessed from the webpage: [https://www.gov.scot/collections/school-education-statistics/](https://www.gov.scot/collections/school-education-statistics/)
comment: The score is a weighted average of the highest level of qualification achieved by school leavers, for all leavers within a data zone and intermediate zone, over three academic years. The score is based on the SCQF Level of qualifications gained by leavers in National Qualifications and Skills for Work. These statistics are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. See the 'Description' box for more information.
update frequency: annual
license id: uk-ogl
confidentiality: In some geographical areas, there were no school leavers in the school years considered; therefore a rate could not be determined. These geographical area have been removed from the dataset. For disclosure reasons data zones where there are less than 5 school leavers over the 3 years, have been removed from the data set.
quality management: Quality checks are conducted by Scottish Government.
geographical coverage: S01
geographical coverage: S02
will be updated: true
reference period: PeriodOfTime
  start date: 2011
  end date: 2025
next update: 2027-04-01
description: The score presented in this dataset is a weighted average of the highest level of qualification achieved by school leavers, averaged across all leavers within a certain geographical area, over 3 academic years. The qualifications included are National Qualifications and Skills for Work, and the level refers to the SCQF level of the qualifications. The geographical areas considered are data zones and intermediate zones. The COVID-19 pandemic will have affected these statistics for some years. Please see the relevant text below. The score is a weighted average. To calculate it, we first assign each school leaver an individual score, based on the highest level of qualification they achieved at grades C to A in National Qualifications or Skills for Work while at school. A school leaver who achieved a Level 3 qualification as their highest level of qualification while at school is given an individual score of three. A school leaver who achieved a Level 4 qualification as their highest level while at school is given a score of four. A school leaver who achieved a Level 5 qualification as their highest level while at school is given a score of five. A school leaver who achieved a Level 6 qualification as their highest level while at school is given a score of six. A school leaver who achieved a Level 7 qualification as their highest level while at school is given a score of seven. Where a school leaver's highest qualification was at a grade D, this is scored as being a qualification at the SCQF level below. For example, if a leaver's highest qualification was a grade D in an SCQF Level 6 qualification, we have scored this as though their highest qualification was an SCQF Level 5 qualification and given them a score of five. (This adjustment for grade D only applies to qualifications at SCQF levels 4 to 7). The individual scores are then added together for all the school leavers within a geographic area (a data zone or an intermediate zone), and the total score divided by t…
version notes: These data are not subject to planned major revisions. The revisions policy follows the Scottish Government Statistics Group Revisions Policy.
issued: 2026-08-20T15:53:42.406955
modified: 2026-08-20T15:55:26.121349
contact point: Organization
contact point: Kind

Education, Skills and Training
type: Concept

Scottish Government
type: Agent

educational-attainment-of-school-leavers.csv
type: Distribution
comment: The score is a weighted average of the highest level of qualification achieved by school leavers, for all leavers within a data zone and intermediate zone, over three academic years. The score is based on the SCQF Level of qualifications gained by leavers in National Qualifications and Skills for Work. These statistics are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. See the 'Description' box for more information.
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description: Data file for Educational attainment of school leavers
format: CSV
access URL: https://admin.data.gov.scot/resource/700bf4bb-e6a2-4c9d-8b3b-60c0180d518d/download
issued: 2026-08-20T15:55:26.250437
modified: 2026-08-20T15:55:26.218435