Disadvantaged students were less likely to have a sustained destination
Students who were eligible for pupil premium in year 11 (around a quarter of the cohort) were 12 percentage points less likely to have an overall sustained destination after post-16 study compared to all other students .
They were less likely to go into higher education, apprenticeships or employment. The largest gap was in progression to higher education where it stood at 13 percentage points (25% to 38%).
Outcomes for this group vary widely across England. The gap between disadvantaged and other students having a sustained destination was greatest in North East England where it stood at 18 percentage points. London recorded the smallest gap at 5 percentage points.
Disadvantage status and pupil premium
Students were considered disadvantaged in year 11 and attracted pupil premium funding if they had been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, had been looked after by the local authority, or had been adopted from care. Students eligible for free school meals are a subset of the wider disadvantaged group. See methodology for details.
Female students were more likely to have an overall sustained destination than male students
Overall, 84% of female students had a sustained destination compared to 78% of male students, a gap of 6 percentage points.
Female students were more likely to continue in education after 16 to 18 study (50% to 43%) and less likely to take up apprenticeships (7% to 11%).
The gender gap is most pronounced in progression to higher education. While 39% of female students went to higher education, the corresponding figure for male students was 30%.
A higher proportion of male students had no recorded activity in the year following the end of 16 to 18 study when compared to female students (7% to 4%).
Destination outcomes varied by ethnicity, particularly at the level of minor ethnic group
While there was relatively little variation between the major ethnic groups, the overall rate of sustained destinations varied significantly when looking at the more detailed minor ethnicity groupings.
Students who identified as Gypsy/Roma or as Traveller of Irish Heritage were the least likely to continue in education, apprenticeships or employment (49% and 56%). The two groups are, however, relatively small and their outcomes are volatile year on year.
Within the Asian ethnic group, students of Indian ethnicity were the most likely to have a sustained destination (88%), followed by students of Bangladeshi background (85%). Destination outcomes were below the Asian ethnic group average for students of Pakistani ethnicity (81%).
Students who were either mixed white and black Caribbean or black Caribbean were less likely to continue in a sustained destination compared to the national average (76% and 78%). Students of black African ethnicity had outcomes that were higher than the national average, with 85% of the cohort having a sustained destination.
College students with learning difficulties or disabilities were much more likely to continue in education than other students
Students with recorded learning difficulties or disabilities (LLDD) were 9 percentage points more likely to stay in education after 16 to 18 study compared to all other college students (44% compared to 35%). They were, however, more likely to continue in further education rather than in higher education compared to the rest of the cohort. They were also less likely to take up apprenticeships or go into employment.
Students with special educational needs in mainstream schools had destination outcomes similar to all other students
Students with recorded special educational needs (SEN) were only two percentages points less likely to have an overall sustained destination than those without an identified need (86% to 88%). They were also slightly more likely to continue in education after 16 to 18 study (62% to 61%). At the same time, SEN students were less likely to continue in higher education (48% to 54%) and more likely to study at level 3 and below in FE providers (8% to 3%) or at other education providers (mainly continuing in school sixth forms) (7% to 3%).
