Secondary pupils in Argyll and Bute received praise for their latest attainment and achievement successes when the Council’s Community Services Committee presented members with a breakdown of their 2020/21 outcomes at today’s meeting.
The results analysis for attainment shows that:
- All 10 of the area’s secondary schools maintained their 100% pass rate for National 4, outperforming the national average;
- Six schools were above the 2021 national average for National 5 (85.8%).
- Nine were above the 2021 national average for Higher (87.3%), and;
- Four secondary schools were above the 2021 national average for Advanced Higher (90.2%).
On top of these successes, young people in Argyll and Bute gained 1,067 Wider Achievement Awards at SCQF levels 4-7 (National 4 – Advanced Higher) in a vast range of more than 50 topics, including:
- Bee keeping
- Journalism
- Horse care
- Computer game design
- Legal studies
- Hair and beauty
- Personal finance
- Construction skills
The Council’s Policy Lead for Education, and Chair of the Community Services Committee, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, said: “Our young people are a true credit to Argyll and Bute. The last two years have been an extremely challenging time but, despite facing setbacks, they have demonstrated sheer grit and determination to succeed. The world of education has changed dramatically because of Covid, but our young people have taken blended learning in their stride and have adjusted to new, fast-moving developments in IT with ease.
“In Argyll and Bute, we understand the importance of developing the four capacities of the Curriculum for Excellence – supporting pupils to be Successful Learners, Responsible Citizens, Effective Contributors and Confident Individuals.
“Participation in Wider Achievement Activities is just one of the ways we are achieving this, preparing our young people for successful, fulfilling lives. Employers, further education, and higher education establishments recognise these Wider Achievement qualifications and they contribute to the pupils’ overall certification.
“Not only does the exam data show that young are achieving success, participation measures for the last 12 months shows that 93.5% of our school leavers went onto higher education, further education, employment, modern apprenticeships, training and voluntary work - 1.3% higher than the Scottish average. This is a recurring trend in Argyll and Bute. Our young people should be very, very proud of their success, and what they continue to achieve. I know I certainly am.”