How many pupils in each Tayside and Fife school go on to ‘positive destinations’ after they leave?

School league tables can be controversial, with teachers saying the focus on attainment levels can be unfair on those pupils living in more deprived areas.

Instead, many believe the true measure of how well a school is doing is to look at how many of its pupils go on to a positive destination after they leave.

According to the Scottish Government, positive destinations include higher education, further education, employment, training, personal skills development or voluntary work.

Data is published every year showing the percentage of school leavers across Scotland who go on to a positive destination so we took a look at what it says about Tayside and Fife.

Use our table to check what percentage of school leavers at your child’s school go on to a positive destination. 

Angus

Scottish Government data shows the average percentage of school leavers in Angus in a positive destination last year was 96%.

This is slightly higher than the Scotland-wide average of 95%.

Monifieth High School came out on top, with 97% of pupils here going on to a positive destination after they left.

Dundee

In Dundee, the percentage of school leavers in Dundee in a positive destination last year was 94%.

Grove Academy and St John’s RC High School had the highest percentage of leavers going on to a positive destination, with both schools seeing 95% of their leavers last year doing so.

Braeview Academy, which had the lowest percentage of school leavers achieving five or more highers in Tayside and Fife last year, saw 86% of leavers in a positive destination.

Fife

Similar to Dundee, the average percentage of school leavers in Fife last year heading to a positive destination was 94%.

Madras College, in St Andrews, and St Columba’s RC High School, in Dunfermline, came out on top in the Kingdom with both schools seeing 96% of their leavers last year in a positive destination.

Levenmouth Academy, which has one of the highest proportions of pupils living in deprived areas in Scotland, saw 91% of its leavers last year head on to a positive destination.

Perth and Kinross

The Scottish Government data shows that out of all the areas in Tayside and Fife, Perth and Kinross had the highest percentage of school leavers in a positive destination last year.

The data shows that 97% of school leavers in the area that went on to higher education, employment or volunteering work.

Breadalbane Academy, in Aberfeldy, saw all of its leavers in a positive destination last year.

Scotland-wide picture

The figures for the whole Scotland show there has been slight increase in the number of school leavers heading into employment.

Compared to the previous year (2019-20) the proportion of leavers in employment increased from 16% to 23%.

The proportion of school leavers in higher education also increased, rising from 44% in 2019-20 to 45% in 2020-21.

However, the proportion of school leavers who were in further education fell from 28% to 23%.

Read more about the latest attainment data:

Here’s how Tayside and Fife schools rank as 2022 league tables published

‘Exam success is a narrow measure of what schools like Levenmouth Academy do to prepare pupils for work’

Opinion: A child’s academic success should not be determined by their postcode