Schools - Breadth and Depth of Qualifications
The range of qualifications taken by school pupils and the level at which they are achieved
Data
Schools - Breadth and Depth of Qualifications
Description
The percentage of the schools leavers' cohort gaining SQA National awards at SCQF levels 1 to 7. This measure takes account of all awards achieved in the senior phase (S4-S6) by school leavers.
When a pupil has been awarded a course at a SCQF level, they will be counted in the corresponding level in this dataset. For example, a pupil gaining three awards at SCQF level 4 would be counted as:
- '1 or more awards' at 'SCQF level 4 or better';
- '2 or more awards' at 'SCQF level 4 or better'; and
- '3 or more awards' at 'SCQF level 4 or better'.
They would also be counted once in equivalent boxes for:
- '1 or more awards' at 'SCQF level 3 or better',
- '2 or more awards' at 'SCQF level 3 or better'; and
*- '3 or more awards' at 'SCQF level 3 or better'.
And similarly for 'SCQF level 2 or better' and 'SCQF level 1 or better'.
Only the latest and best awards in each subject are counted. For example if someone has a National 5 and a Higher in Mathematics, it is only the Higher that will contribute to this measure. Schools that offer young people a curriculum based on a range of leaver destinations may have young people who sit fewer qualifications but who are better prepared, with more appropriate skills and experiences for the world of work.
Breadth and Depth are two of the seven principles of design for the Curriculum for Excellence
For some data points, a special character is provided instead of a number. These have the meaning:
* 'NA' - data not available
* '' - the value has been hidden for disclosure reasons
* '#' - data not available because the school is a junior high school with no year S5 or S6
Metadata
| Theme | Education, Skills and Training |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Scottish Government |
| License | UK Open Government Licence (OGL) |
| Published | |
| Last updated | |
| Next update | 1 Apr 2027 |
| Update frequency | annual |
| Reference period | 2015 to 2025 |
| Contact | Insight@gov.scot |
Data quality
Completeness
A comprehensive glossary of terms associated with education can be found on the Parentzone Scotland website
Uniqueness
Not assessed
Consistency
Using data for individual schools as league tables implies that the schools at the top of the table are the best in Scotland and those at the bottom, the worst. This is misleading because schools often operate in very different circumstances, such as different numbers of children with additional support needs, or different job opportunites for school leavers depending on location. The context of a school should be taken into account when considering how well a school is doing.
The best way to judge the performance of a school when using this dataset is to compare a school to its 'virtual comparator'. The 'virtu\u200Bal comparator' is a sample group of pupils from other parts of Scotland who have the same characteristics as the young people in the corresponding school. This is fairer than comparing one school directly with another.
Timeliness
Not assessed
Validity
Not assessed
Accuracy
Not assessed
Quality management
Not assessed
Additional details
Revisions
Not assessed
Confidentiality policy
The presentation of schools data here ensures that individual children cannot be identified. Where data is missing from tables in this dataset, it has been omitted to preserve the confidentiality of individuals.