Careers Wales compile an annual survey of school-leavers on behalf of the Welsh Government. The survey provides a useful snapshot of pupil destinations.
Pupil destinations are reported by year group. A pupil’s destination is their known activity on the 31 October after they have left that year group. For example, Year 11 destinations show pupils’ activity the October after they have left that school year.
About the destinations survey
We compile the survey from data supplied to us. We rely on partner institutions sharing student information to provide as full a picture as possible.
The survey informs colleagues in their work with customers, parents, teachers, and employers. The data also helps partners involved in planning learning, training and employment opportunities.
The survey looks at the progression routes chosen by young people. These include:
- Education
- Employment
- Training
We provide further analysis based on pupils’ ethnicity and gender, where this information is available.
Who does the survey include?
This year’s survey reports the destinations of 54,924 pupils from secondary schools across Wales. It only includes pupils that are included in the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) data collected in January each year. It therefore includes:
- Pupils who have reached statutory leaving age in Year 11
- Pupils leaving school in Years 12 and 13
- Pupils from special schools in these year groups
The survey does not include pupils who:
- Attend Further Education (FE) colleges
- Are Educated Other than at School (EOTAS)
- Attend independent schools
Males account for 49.5% of the total cohort (27,195 individuals) and Females 50.5% (27,722 individuals). 7 pupils identified themselves in the other and prefer not to say category for gender.
Points to note
In 2023, the percentage of Year 11 school-leavers who are Known Not to be in Education, Training or Employment (NEET) is similar to last year, 2.0% in 2023 compared to 2.1% in 2022.
The percentage of pupils leaving Year 11 and entering the labour market (employment and work-based training with employed or non-employed status) is the highest since 2008, at 9.0%.
The percentage of Year 11 school-leavers returning to full-time education fell again in 2023 to 86.7%. This is the lowest percentage since 2013. (2018 was an exception with a very high ‘No response’ rate following the introduction of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It had not been possible to finalise data-sharing agreements with all institutions in time for the 2018 survey).
When comparing the 2023 data with previous years, it is important to take account of other influencing factors, in particular, the high ‘No response’ rate in 2018 and the absence of any external examinations in 2020 or 2021 due to the Covid pandemic.
Please note:
- Percentages have been rounded and may not always total 100%
- National figures may mask variances at regional, local authority and institution level across all cohorts. We provide pupil destinations by local authority area to support analysis at local level
- Graphics may not be to exact scale and are for visual representation only
- Where percentage point changes or differences are shown, these are calculated using unrounded figures. This can provide a different figure compared to when using rounded figures
View the overall figures of Year 11 pupil destinations from schools in Wales 2023.
View the overall figures of Year 12 pupil destinations from schools in Wales 2023.
View the overall figures of Year 13 pupil destinations from schools in Wales 2023.
Definitions
| Full Time Education | Those in education of more than 16 hours per week |
| Further Education (FE) | Further Education at a college, including post 16 Tertiary colleges, rather than in school 6th form (years 12 and 13) |
| Gap Year | Only those on a formal gap year (i.e., have applied to UCAS and have deferred entry to Higher Education) are included in the gap year figures. Individuals who have not gone into Higher Education, but who are thinking of applying have been included under other relevant destinations (as at 31st October following the school leaving date) |
| Known not to be in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) | This includes those unavailable for work and those unemployed. Young people in part time education (16 hours or less per week) were previously included in this category but have been recorded separately since 2009 |
| Left the area | Those who are known to have left Wales |
| Minority ethnic groups | A combined total for Mixed White, Black Caribbean, Mixed White, Black African, Mixed White, Asian; Mixed Other, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Other Asian, Caribbean, African, Other Black, Chinese, Other Ethnic Group |
| Part Time Education | Those in part time education of 16 hours or less per week. These were previously included in the NEET category but have been recorded separately since 2009 |
| WBTYP | Work Based Training for Young People |
| Work Based Training – employed status | This includes Modern Apprenticeships and other Government supported training of employees |
| Work Based Training – non employed status | This includes all Government supported work-based training without employed status |
| White | A combined total for White British, White Irish, White Other |