Latest news with #ModernApprenticeship
Press and Journal
30-04-2025
- General
- Press and Journal
School league tables 2025: Here's how Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands and island secondary schools rank
has pipped at the post to lead the Press and Journal's take on the 2025 school league tables. The two city schools both improved their performances from last year – but made the bigger change. had led the charge for the previous three years. Elsewhere in the north and north-east, and were leading the way. Schools are ranked based on the percentage of leavers to gain five or more Higher qualifications (or equivalent). This is considered a benchmark of achievement as it's a common entry requirement for university. The best performing schools in each local authority area are: went up six points to 58%, with jumping the same amount of points to 39%. In the Highlands, 215-pupil leapt 32 points to 62%. topped the Argyll and Bute table with a score of 46% – up 5% from last year. In the islands, in Shetland came out on top, leaping 14 points to 44%. did the same in the Orkneys, with a jump from last year of 6 points to 39%. The in Harris won the battle of the Western Isles – even with drop of nine points to 41%. Each year the Scottish Government publishes attainment data for every school in Scotland. The figures our 2025 school league table is based on are the percentages of leavers to achieve five or more qualifications at SCQF level 6. As well as Highers, this can include qualifications such as a National Certificate or Modern Apprenticeship. They also compare each result to last year. Publication of school league tables is controversial, seen by many as an index of deprivation rather than a measure of individual schools' performance. An attainment gap exists between pupils who live in the most and least affluent areas. In all of our 2025 top 10 schools, fewer than a fifth pupils live in deprived areas (designated quintile one in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation). At the other end of the table, schools such as Inverness High School and Northfield Academy in Aberdeen face more deprivation. Here are the 10 lowest-scoring schools when assessed by percentage of leavers with five or more highers or equivalent qualification in 2023/24: But in today's world, is this really the best measure of success? Many would not agree, including Peterhead Academy's head teacher Gerry McCluskey. Last year, his school ranked very low in our league tables, with just 14% of leavers obtaining five or more highers. This year, that figure for Peterhead is now at 24%. In an extensive interview with the P&J last April, Mr McCluskey said the league tables are far from the whole story for his school. He told us at the time: 'The percentage of leavers at Peterhead Academy achieving a positive destination after school is 96%. 'That's the same as the likes of Bearsden Academy. Yes, they're getting more Highers, but while our young people are leaving school earlier, they're still moving on to employment, further education, higher education, graduate apprenticeships. 'What you also need to take into account is that as a community, we're almost a self-sustaining economy in Peterhead. We've got a lot of opportunities, we're the biggest town in Aberdeenshire, there's a lot of businesses, a lot of industries that are very attractive for our young people to go and work at.' You can look at last year's results in full detail here.
The Courier
30-04-2025
- General
- The Courier
School league table 2025: How Tayside, Fife & Stirling schools rank
A Fife school has made huge gains to reach the top two in The Courier's secondary schools league of 2025. Dunfermline High School was surpassed only by Dunblane High School in our ranking of 52 schools in Angus, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross and Stirling. Schools are ranked on the percentage of leavers with five or more Higher qualifications (or equivalent). An impressive 60% of pupils to leave Dunfermline High in 2023/24 have five or more Highers (or equivalent) compared to 43% the year before. The best performing schools in each local authority area are: Dunblane retained the top spot in The Courier secondary schools league. It also recorded an increase in leavers with five or more Highers to 70%, compared to 62% the year before. Impressive rises were also seen at The Community School of Auchterarder, up 23 to 58%. Blairgowrie High School's percentage rose 10 to 37%. But there were significant decreases at Woodmill High School, Dunfermline, down 13 to 37%, and St John's RC Academy, Perth, down 16 to 32%. Bertha Park High School, also in Perth, is included in our table for the first time, as it had an S6 cohort for the first time in 2023/24. And 32% of its leavers gained five or more Highers. Five or more Highers is considered a benchmark of achievement as it is a common entry requirement for university. You can find out how your school performed below, in our table of Angus, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross and Stirling local authority secondary schools. Each year the Scottish Government publishes attainment data for every school in Scotland. The figures our 2025 school league table is based on are the percentages of leavers to achieve five or more qualifications at SCQF level 6. As well as Highers, this can include qualifications such as a National Certificate or Modern Apprenticeship. Publication of school league tables is controversial, seen by many as an index of deprivation rather than a measure of individual schools' performance. An attainment gap exists between pupils who live in the most and least affluent areas. Indeed, in our top nine schools of 2025 fewer than one in 10 pupils live in the most deprived areas (designated quintile one in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation). At the three worst performing schools more than half of pupils are from the most deprived areas.
Glasgow Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow apprentices hail sport programme as "life-changing"
The Physical Education, Physical Activity and School Sport (PEPASS) team, which includes the city's active schools coordinators, has been running a Modern Apprenticeship programme for six years. Elise McKee, a former pupil of St Andrew's Secondary in Carntyne, said: 'I love dancing and gymnastics when I was really young, but it was our active schools co-ordinator Julie who really inspired me to think about sport as a career. 'The Modern Apprenticeship has been life-changing and given me a clear pathway into what I want to do. I'm now going to do an HND in sport coaching and development at college and hopefully eventually become an active schools co-ordinator myself.' READ NEXT: Glasgow pupil 'flies flag for Scotland' at global fashion contest READ NEXT: Pupils' fears over selfish parking outside Glasgow school following 'near misses' Elise's leadership in dance and gymnastics has helped encourage many younger girls to take part in major events. Jack McBride, who attended Castlemilk High, has had a huge impact on confidence and participation in Additional Support Needs schools. He said: 'I didn't know what I wanted to do when I left school, but the Modern Apprenticeship has been brilliant, I really love it.' Jack, who is care experienced and has kinship care for his younger brother, added: 'Taking classes in boccia for pupils with additional support needs has been my favourite aspect of the whole programme, and I have learned a lot.' The two apprentices spoke about their experiences at Glasgow City Council's recent education committee meeting. Councillor Christina Cannon, Glasgow City Council's education convener said: 'It was brilliant to hear from Elise and Jack about all the opportunities they have experienced during their apprenticeship. 'They were so confident about the difference it has made in their lives and how it has given them the skills to apply for courses and the next stage of their career.' Applications for this year's PEPASS Modern Apprenticeship programme are open until May 25.
