Young People who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET)
- In 2025, there were 1,134 school leavers from Year 11, 12 and 13 known to be NEET in Wales, representing 2.1% of the total cohort
- As in previous years, the Year 13 cohort continued to have a higher percentage of school leavers known to be NEET (3.6% - 356 individuals) compared to the Year 11 (2.1% - 711 individuals) and Year 12 cohorts (0.6% - 67 individuals)
- The percentage of Year 11 school leavers unable to enter Employment, Education or Training (EET) due to illness, caring for others or pregnancy stood at 1.4%. In the same category, the percentage of Year 12 and Year 13 school leavers stood at 0.3% and 2.2% respectively
- The percentage of NEET Year 11 females who were unable to enter EET in 2025 was higher than for NEET males (69.3% of NEET females and 64.5% of NEET males)
Continuing in Full Time Education (FTE)
- Continuing in full time education (FTE) continues to be the most popular choice of destination by far for pupils in each of the three year groups
- A higher percentage of females than males across all three cohorts chose to continue in full time education
| Cohort | Males | Females | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 11 | 87.0% | 90.7% | 3.7 percentage points |
| Year 12 | 94.6% | 96.5% | 1.9 percentage points |
| Year 13 | 71.2% | 79.4% | 8.2 percentage points |
A greater proportion of those continuing in FTE after Year 11 chose FE (61.7%) over school sixth forms (38.3%), a difference of 23.4 percentage points.
- Sixth Form 38.3%
- FE College 61.7%
In 2025, of those classified as continuing in FTE, FE was a more popular route for both males and females. The difference was greater for males (64.2% going to FE, compared to 35.7% staying in school) than it was for females (59.1% going to FE, compared to 40.9% staying in school).
In Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 a higher percentage of those in minority ethnic groups continued in FTE compared to those who are white.
| Cohort | White | Ethnic Minority |
|---|---|---|
| Year 11 | 88.3% | 92.2% |
| Year 12 | 95.7% | 96.2% |
| Year 13 | 74.5% | 83.0% |
Entering the Labour Market - Work and Training Routes
- In 2025 the percentage of young people entering Government supported training (Employed and Non-Employed status) was highest for those in Year 11 at 4.8% (1,589 individuals). For the other cohorts, 0.9% (102 individuals) of the Year 12 cohort and 2.8% (274 individuals) of the Year 13 cohort entered one of these options
- The percentages of young people going straight into employment stood at 2.5% for Year 11, 1.7% for Year 12 and 11.9% for Year 13
- Entering the labour market (either training in the workplace or employment) was a more popular choice with males than females across all 3 cohorts in 2025
| Cohort | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Year 11 | 8.6% | 5.9% |
| Year 12 | 3.1% | 2.1% |
| Year 13 | 17.2% | 12.5% |
Of the three cohorts a much smaller percentage of those in minority ethnic groups entered the labour market (employment or work-based training) than those who are white.
| Cohort | White | Ethnic Minority |
|---|---|---|
| Year 11 | 7.8% | 3.6% |
| Year 12 | 2.8% | 1.3% |
| Year 13 | 15.6% | 8.2% |
No Response Rate
The overall ‘No Response’ rate for the survey stood at 1.7% in 2025 with the Year 13 cohort having the highest “No Response” rate at 5.4% (529 individuals).
| Year 11 | 0.8% |
|---|---|
| Year 12 | 0.9% |
| Year 13 | 5.4% |
View pupil destinations by year group
View the overall figures of Year 11 pupil destinations from schools in Wales 2025.
View the overall figures of Year 12 pupil destinations from schools in Wales 2025.
View the overall figures of Year 13 pupil destinations from schools in Wales 2025.