Academic year 2022/23

Longer term destinations

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• Published: 15 May 2025
• Next update: May 2026
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• Produced by: Department for Education

Destination measures provide information on the success of schools and colleges in helping young people continue in education, apprenticeships or employment. 

These official statistics show the number of students that have sustained at least 6 months of education, apprenticeship or employment activity in their first, third and fifth year after finishing key stage 4.

The release provides information at national, regional, local authority and institution levels with breakdowns by student characteristics.

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Releases in this series

View releases (5)

• Academic year 2021/22
• Academic year 2020/21
• Academic year 2019/20
• Academic year 2018/19
• Academic year 2017/18

Methodologies

• Longer term destinations

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Headline facts and figures - 2022/23

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What are destination measures?

What are destination measures?

Destination measures provide information on the success of schools and colleges in helping young people continue in education, apprenticeships or employment. 

Longer term destinations focus on destination activity 1, 3 and 5 years after completing key stage 4.

This differs from the standard measures which focus on activity in the first year after completing key stage 4 (for example GCSEs) or 16 to 18 study (for example A levels). 

The most recent data focuses on students who left key stage 4 in the 2017/18 academic year and identifies their main activity in 2018/19 (when they would be age 16 or 17), 2020/21 (age 18 or 19) and 2022/23 (age 20 or 21) academic years.

This publication also contains data on students who left key stage 4 in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 academic years and identifies their main activity in their first and third year after leaving key stage 4. See the table below for the academic years these destination years also take place. To see more details on these cohorts, see the section labelled “Later cohorts”.

The table below details the three cohorts of focus this year, and the academic year each of destination years 1, 3  and 5 would have occurred in:

	Destination Year
Cohort Year	1	3	5
2017/18	2018/19	2020/21	2022/23
2018/19	2019/20	2021/22	N/A
2019/20	2020/21	2022/23	N/A

Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on destination measures

Academic years between 2019/20 and 2021/22 were affected by disruption caused by the pandemic. For the 2017/18 cohort, destinations 3 years after key stage 4 (2020/21) would have been significantly impacted by COVID 19, with many employers and apprenticeship provides taking on fewer individuals during this period. While destinations 5 years after key stage 4 (2022/23) will not be directly affected by COVID 19, disruption in previous years may have some effect on destinations in this academic year. 

For the 2018/19 cohort, destinations 1 and 3 years after key stage 4 were directly affected by disruption caused by the pandemic. This is also the case for destinations 1 year after key stage 4 for the 2019/20 cohort. Destinations 3 years after key stage 4 for the 2019/20 cohort (2022/23), also will not have been directly affected, though disruption in previous years may have some effect on destinations in this academic year. 

What is a ‘sustained’ destination? 

To be counted in a destination, young people have to be recorded as having sustained participation for a 6 month period in the destination year. How this rule is applied varies depending on the type of activity measured. 

Please see the ‘constructing the measure’ section of the methodology for full details on destination definitions.

This six-month requirement encourages schools and colleges to support and prepare their students to progress to a destination that offers sustained engagement.

In this longer term destinations measure, a sustained destination in the fifth year requires six months of activity in the fifth year only, not sustained activity throughout the five-year period (and likewise for destinations in the third year).

Change across the years

Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on destination measures

Academic years between 2019/20 and 2021/22 were affected by disruption caused by the pandemic. For the 2017/18 cohort, destinations 3 years after ks4 (2020/21) would have been significantly impacted by COVID 19, with many employers and apprenticeship provides taking on fewer individuals during this period. While destinations 5 years after ks4 (2022/23) will not be directly affected by COVID 19, disruption in previous years may have some effect on destinations in this academic year. 

For the 2018/19 cohort, destinations 1 and 3 years after ks4 were directly affected by disruption caused by the pandemic. This is also the case for destinations 1 year after ks4 for the 2019/20 cohort. Destinations 3 years after ks4 for the 2019/20 cohort (2022/23), also will not have been directly affected, though disruption in previous years may have some effect on destinations in this academic year. 

For 2017/18 leavers, sustained destinations in year 5 decreased slightly by 0.3 percentage points. This followed a 2.9 percentage point increase in the previous academic year.

The proportion of students who sustained an overall destination one year after finishing key stage 4 was 94.2%, unchanged compared to the previous year's cohort.

The proportion of students who sustained an overall destination three years after finishing key stage 4 was 79.7%, down by 2.2 percentage points in comparison to the previous year's cohort. This took place in the 2020/21 academic year, which was heavily affected by disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

82.1% of students had an overall sustained destination five years after finishing key stage 4, down by 0.3 percentage points in comparison to the previous year's cohort.

Sustained education destinations five years after finishing key stage 4 remained broadly unchanged for 2017/18 leavers compared to the previous year's cohort. This sees education destinations not decrease to pre-pandemic levels in the 2022/23 academic year. We also see a continued trend of an increased proportion of education destinations being at a UK higher education institution in year 5. As this cohort was directly affected by the pandemic in their third year, this may have impacted their destinations five years after key stage 4.

Apprenticeship destinations in the third year following key stage 4 decreased by 1.9 percentage points compared to the previous year's cohort. While this period (2020/21 academic year) was impacted by the pandemic, later cohort data shows sustained apprenticeship destinations in year 3 increase but not to pre-pandemic levels in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years. Apprenticeship destinations in the fifth year remain broadly unchanged across 2012/13 to 2017/18 leavers.

Pupil characteristics

When is a pupil considered disadvantaged?

Pupils are defined as disadvantaged if they were eligible for pupil premium when they were in Year 11 at school. This includes pupils who had:

• Been eligible for free school meals at any point in the previous six years
• Been looked after by their local authority for at least 1 day
• Left care through adoption, a special guardianship order, or a child arrangements order (previously known as a residence order).

This information comes from local authority records and the School Census.

Disadvantage Status

The gap between disadvantaged students and non-disadvantaged students sustaining an overall destination was widest 5 years after finishing key stage 4 study. 

Compared to the previous year (2016/17 leavers), the disadvantage gap stayed the same in the first year after completing key stage 4 (7.6 percentage points). The gap in the third year after key stage 4 has widened by 1.2 percentage points (13.8 to 15.0 percentage points) and the gap in the fifth year after key stage 4 has widened slightly by 0.1 percentage points (18.2 to 18.3 percentage points).

In the first year after leaving key stage 4, the disadvantage gap (7.6 percentage points) is driven by education destinations, with disadvantaged students 7.7 percentage points less likely to sustain an education destination.

3 years after leaving key stage 4, the disadvantage gap (15.0 percentage points) is influenced by all major destination types. Disadvantaged students were 6.7 percentage points less likely to sustain an education destination, 2.9 percentage points less likely to sustain an apprenticeship destination and 5.4 percentage points less likely to sustain an employment destination.

5 years after leaving key stage 4, the disadvantage gap (18.3 percentage points) is mostly driven by education destinations, with disadvantages 16.8 percentage points less likely to sustain a destination than non-disadvantaged students.

Non-disadvantaged students are more likely to sustain an apprenticeship destination 1, 3, and 5 years after completing key stage 4.

Prior Attainment

Students who achieved grades 9-4 in English and maths at key stage 4 were more likely to sustain an overall destination than those who did not achieve these grades

2017/18 leavers who achieved grades 9-4 in English and maths at key stage 4 were 23.3 percentage points more likely to sustain a destination 5 years after finishing key stage 4 than those who did not achieve the grades. This gap is unchanged from the previous year.

This gap is driven by higher education destinations for students with higher prior attainment. The education gap also increased with each recorded destination year. After 1 year, higher prior attainment students were 16.5 percentage points more likely to sustain an education destination. This increases to 21.8 and 40.6 percentage points in year 3 and 5, respectively.

Apprenticeship destinations were higher for students who did achieve grades 9-4 in English and Maths 5 years after key stage 4 by 1.0 percentage points. However, students who did not achieve grades 9-4 in English and Maths were more likely to sustain an apprenticeship destination 1 and 3 years after finishing key stage 4 by 2.4 and 0.4 percentage points, respectively.

Employment destinations were higher for students who did not achieve grades 9-4 in English and Maths 1, 3 and 5 years after key stage 4 by 4.1, 2.6, and 18.2 percentage points, respectively. 

Sex

Female students were more likely to have an overall sustained destination 1, 3 and 5 years after finishing key stage 4 than male students 

Female students were 1.3 percentage points more likely to have a sustained destination than male students 1 year after finishing key stage 4. After 3 years, this gap widens to 4.5 percentage points, then narrows to 3.5 percentage points after 5 years.

This gap is driven by education destinations in each of the recorded years, with the education gap at 4.4, 8.9 and 13.7 percentage points at 1,3 and 5 years, respectively. At each stage, this education gap has widened compared to the previous cohort.

Male students were more likely than female students to take up both apprenticeship and employment destinations in each recorded year.

Special Educational Needs

Students with special educational needs (SEN) in state-funded mainstream schools were less likely to have a sustained destination 1, 3 and 5 years after completing key stage 4

The gap between students with SEN support or an educational health care (EHC) plan or statement and those without SEN widens across the recorded years after key stage 4.

For SEN students, those with an EHC plan or statement were more likely to sustain a destination than those SEN support 1 and 3 years after key stage 4, with the gap at 1.8 and 3.0 percentage points, respectively. This is driven by education destinations, with students with an EHC plan or statement 6.5 percentage points more likely to sustain an education destination over SEN support students in year 1, and 15.8 percentage points more likely in year 3.

After 5 years, this students with SEN support are 7.6 percentage points more likely to sustain a destination than those with an EHC plan or statement. This is primarily driven by education destinations, as students with an EHC plan or statement see a 28.6 percentage point drop in education destinations in year 5, larger than the 19.3 percentage point drop for students with SEN support. Students with SEN support are also 12.4 percentage points more likely to sustain an employment destination in year 5 compared to students with an EHC plan or statement, wider than the 9.6 percentage point gap in year 3.

Ethnicity

Pupils from Indian and Chinese backgrounds were most likely to sustain a destination 1, 3 and 5 years after completing key stage 4

Students of Chinese and Indian background had the highest sustained destinations 1 year after completing key stage 4, at 98.3% and 97.6%, respectively. After 5 years, students of Chinese and Indian backgrounds still have the highest sustained destinations at 91.9% and 89.6%, respectively. Students of Chinese and Indian backgrounds also have the lowest decline in sustained destinations across their first and fifth year after key stage 4, at 6.4 and 8.0 percentage points, respectively.

This was driven by education destinations, with students of Chinese or Indian, along with students of other Asian backgrounds, most likely to sustain an education destination 5 years after finishing key stage 4. Students of Black African and Bangladeshi background were similarly likely to sustain an education destination in year 3, but experience a much larger drop between their third and fifth year compared to students of the other three backgrounds.

Students of White British background were most likely to sustain an apprenticeship destination 1, 3 and 5 years after key stage 4. They were also most likely to sustain a employment destination 3 and 5 years after key stage 4, with students of Gypsy Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage backgrounds most likely to sustain an employment destination in the first year after key stage 4.

Geographical location

Destinations by Region

Students from the North East were less likely to have an overall sustained destination 1, 3 and 5 years after key stage 4 study than students from other regions in England

East of England, South East, South West, Outer London and East Midlands students were most likely to sustain an overall destination 3 and 5 years after they finished key stage 4. In the first year, a 2.7 percentage point gap is seen between the highest and lowest performing region for overall sustained destinations.

Inner and Outer London students were much more likely to sustain an education destination 1, 3 and 5 years after finishing key stage 4 than students from other regions. After 5 years, students from London are 14.0 percentage points more likely to sustain an education destination than students in the rest of England.

A chart is also available below for local authority data. In general, similar trends are seen to those in regional data.

Types of destination

Education Destinations

Higher education is the most common destination type 3 and 5 years after finishing key stage 4 study. Sixth form colleges or school sixth forms  were the most common destination type 1 year after key stage 4 study.

Sixth form colleges or school sixth forms were the most common education destination one year after finishing key stage 4 (51.0%). This was followed by further education colleges (34.9%) and other education institutions (0.9%).

Higher education institutions were the most common education destination 3 years after finishing key stage 4 (34.0%).  This was followed by further education colleges (13.6%), sixth form colleges and school sixth forms at 3.3%, with other education institutions at 0.2%.

Higher education institutions were by far the most common education destination 5 years after finishing key stage 4 (41.7%). By year 5, only 1.3% of students were in a further education college. Sixth form colleges, sixth form schools and other education institution destinations make up less than 0.1% of the cohort by year 5. 

Apprenticeship Destinations

Year 3 marks the peak in apprenticeship activity at 7.0% compared to 1 and 5 years after finishing key stage 4 

Year 3 apprenticeships destinations have dropped 1.9 percentage points compared to last year’s cohort. While we expected a drop in year 3 for this cohort due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our later cohort data shows the following 2 cohorts’ apprenticeship destinations do not return to pre-pandemic levels 3 years after key stage 4, with both at 7.6%.

Advanced apprenticeships remain the most common level of apprenticeships 3 and 5 years after key stage 4 (3.9% and 3.4%, respectively), while intermediate apprenticeships are the most common level of apprenticeship 1 year after key stage 4 (2.8%).

Provider type

Special schools

The gap between special school leavers and mainstream school leavers grow substantially wider (6.5 to 34.7 percentage points) between year 3 and 5. This is driven by a large drop in education destinations between year 3 and 5 for special school leavers.

For special schools, overall sustained destinations were 5.1 and 6.5 percentage points below mainstream schools 1 and 3 years after key stage 4, respectively. This gap widens substantially to 34.7 percentage points in year 5 as overall sustained destinations drop by 25.8 percentage points for special school leavers.

Alternative Provision

Pupils leaving alternative provision were much less likely to sustain a destination 1, 3, and 5 years after finishing key stage 4 compared to mainstream and special schools.

For alternative provision, overall sustained destinations are considerably lower than special and particularly mainstream schools across the recorded period. The gap between alternative provision schools and mainstream schools is widens further from 34.3 to 47.4 percentage points between year 1 and 3. The gap widens less so in year 5, to 49.7 percentage points.

State-funded alternative provision schools have slightly higher sustained destinations 5 years after key stage 4 compared to other alternative provision. This contrasts with the first year, where state-funded alternative provision schools have significantly lower sustained destinations to other alternative provision (54.4% vs 83.4%).

This contrast in sustained destinations is primarily driven by a larger drop in education destinations for other alternative provision, along with higher employment destinations across the recorded period for state-funded alternative provision schools, with the employment gap widening in year 5.

State-funded mainstream schools

Converter academies have the highest sustained destinations 1,3, and 5 years after finishing key stage 4. They also have the lowest drop in sustained destinations over this period.

State-funded mainstream schools have the highest sustained destinations and smallest drop across 1, 3 and 5 years after key stage 4 compared to special and alternative provision schools. State-funded mainstream schools experience a 12.1 percentage point drop in sustained destinations between 1 and 5 years after key stage 4, much smaller than the 27.5 and 41.7 percentage point drop for alternative provision and special schools, respectively.

The ranking of institution types in terms of sustained destinations remains consistent 1, 3 and 5 years after key stage 4, with converter academies followed by free and LA maintained schools. 14-16 FE colleges have the lowest sustained destinations throughout the recorded destination years, with the gap in sustained destinations to the next lowest performing institution type (studio schools) at 4.1 and 12.4 percentage points 1 and 5 years after key stage 4, respectively.

Later cohorts

What are later cohorts?

While the rest of this publication focuses on students leaving key stage 4 in the 2017/18 academic year, this section will focus on 2018/19 and 2019/20 leavers. For these cohorts, data is only provided 1 and 3 years after students finish key stage 4, as the year 5 data is not yet available.

This section will primarily focus on the 2019/20 cohort and their sustained destinations 3 years after finishing key stage 4, as this data is new to this publication.

Education destinations continued to drop for the 2019/20 cohort in year 3, and are now slightly below pre-pandemic levels.

Further education destinations appear to be the driver in this drop, with 10.1% of students sustaining a destination in a further education college in year 3. Further education destinations ranged from 13.5% to 15.5% before the pandemic in year 3. In contrast, higher education destinations have dropped slightly for 2019/20 leavers (33.6%), though remain above pre-pandemic levels (28.0% to 29.9%) for year 3.

Apprenticeship destinations have also stayed below pre-pandemic levels at 7.6% in year 3. Pre-pandemic apprenticeship destinations ranged between 9.6% to 10.7%

Employment destinations have risen above pre-pandemic levels to 27.5%. Pre-pandemic levels ranged between 23.0% to 25.1% for year 3.

While 2019/20 leavers are not considered to be directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic 3 years after key stage 4 (the 2022/23 academic year), their first year after key stage 4 took place in 2020/21, the academic year impacted most significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic. This cohort’s deviation of sustained destinations from pre-pandemic levels may be in part due to disruption caused by the pandemic having a continued effect on their destinations in the years following the pandemic.

Alternative sustained period methodology

NOTE: The statistics in this section are published as Official Statistics in Development (opens in a new tab). 

Any feedback on these new statistics are appreciated via Destination.MEASURES@education.gov.uk

What is the alternative sustained period methodology?

To be counted in a destination, young people have to be recorded as having sustained participation for a 6 month period in the destination year. How this rule is applied varies depending on the type of activity measured, as detailed further in the ‘constructing the measure’ section of the methodology.

In the current methodology, sustained education and employment destinations look for 6 months sustained activity around the first two terms of the academic year (October to March). The alternative methodology instead looks for 6 months sustained activity for education and employment destinations across the entire academic year (August to July).

Under the new methodology we look for 6 consecutive months of activity at any point during the relevant destination year.  This new methodology acknowledges different start points for education and employment, particularly when 3 or 5 years from the end of key stage 4 study.

For apprenticeship destinations, our current methodology already looks for 6 months sustained activity across the full academic year, so this data will be unaffected by the change in methodology.

The alternative methodology gives an increase in sustained destinations in each recorded period. Education destinations have the largest increase in year 1, while employment has the largest increase in years 3 and 5

In the first year after key stage 4, overall sustained destinations increase by 1.4 percentage points when using the alternative methodology compared to the current methodology. This is driven by a 1.1 percentage point increase in education destinations. More specifically, further education destinations drive this increase with a 1.0 percentage point increase compared to the current methodology.

In the third year after key stage 4, overall sustained destinations increase by 3.8 percentage points in comparison to the current methodology. This is driven by a 2.9 percentage point increase in employment destinations.

In the fifth year after key stage 4, overall sustained destinations increase by 3.5 percentage points in comparison to the current methodology. This is driven by a 2.9 percentage point increase in employment destinations.

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Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

• Longer term destinations

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Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance.

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