Published 14 December 2023
Young people in West Dunbartonshire are continuing to perform well in senior phase exams.
An update was shared at a meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council’s Educational Services committee this week updating members on the senior phase attainment and the numbers of pupils passing exams in West Dunbartonshire.
The report highlighted the measurements of attainment through the use of the national online benchmarking tool ‘Insight’. The tool allows schools to evaluate their performance against local and national measures, as well as against a virtual comparator which reflect the results of young people from across Scotland with a similar social and attainment profile.
This year 2,320 young people were presented for 10,450 qualifications ranging from National 2 to Advanced Higher, with 81% achieving a passing grade, up from 75% in 2022.
Young people who sat their National 5 qualification maintained performance at 80% when compared with 2022, and the percentage of Highers passed increased by 1 percentage point to 78%.
The percentage for Advanced Higher decreased by 3% to 69% compared to 2022 with 253 presentations for Advanced Highers this year compared with 313 in 2022.
Figures over the last nine years show almost 100% of pupils passed Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Level 1 or above. At Level 4 and above 90% achieved literacy and 80% in numeracy. At National 4, 89% and National 5, 71% gained three or more qualifications. More than half of the pupils who sat Highers passed at least one and 37% achieved three or more.
Convener of Educational Services, Councillor Clare Steel, said: “Our young people have worked so hard and we congratulate them on their efforts. I must thank our dedicated teaching and support staff for their commitment to our young peoples’ education. This update on exam results allows us to benchmark our performance locally and nationally and will help us to ensure young people thrive in their education and beyond.”
Councillor John Millar, Vice Convener of Educational Services, said: “This update on the SQA results will ensure we can review and build on the great success achieved by our young people. The information highlights areas where we are achieving well and helps us identify other areas where we will give additional support. As a Council we are committed to the education of our children and we strive to maintain and enhance the quality of our education provision.”