Destinations of school leavers, 2015-16

More than a quarter of Buckinghamshire’s school leavers go on to Russell Group universities after key stage 5 (after A levels or other level 3 qualification, usually aged 18).

This is the highest proportion recorded in any of England’s 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), more than double the national rate, and ten percentage points above 2nd placed Gloucestershire.  Buckinghamshire also has the highest share of school leavers going on to Oxbridge (3.0 per cent) and to universities ranked among the top third of all higher education institutes.  Overall, 60.0 per cent of school leavers went on to higher education, the 2nd highest share among LEPs behind London (60.6 per cent), with 22.0 per cent entering sustained employment.[1]

At just 7.0 per cent, Buckinghamshire has the lowest proportion of school leavers entering further education after key stage 5, while at 3 per cent, Buckinghamshire’s share of school leavers starting apprenticeships after key stage 5 is less than half the 7 per cent recorded across England.

Table 1: School leavers’ destination after Key Stage 5, 2015/16


Source: Department of Education, 2017

Wycombe saw the highest share of school leavers entering higher education among Buckinghamshire’s parliamentary constituencies at 68.0 per cent, to rank 45th of all 533 constituencies in England, ahead of Beaconsfield (64.0, 82nd), Buckingham (63.0 , 97th), Chesham & Amersham (59.0, 147th) and Aylesbury (51.0, 277th).  Progression to Russell Group universities from all five constituencies was at least ten percentage points above the 11.0 per cent recorded across England, reaching 35 per cent in Wycombe to rank 6th in England, while 4 per cent of school leavers (i.e. 1 in 25) went on to Oxbridge, compared to 1.0 per cent across England, reaching 8.0 per cent for Aylesbury High School, Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School and The Royal Grammar School High Wycombe.

Across Buckinghamshire, 22.0 per cent of school leavers entered sustained employment after key stage 5, one percentage point below the national level to rank 28th among LEPs.  While 29 per cent of Aylesbury’s school leavers entered employment to rank 81st in England, no other constituency bettered the national share, with Wycombe seeing the smallest proportion of school leavers entering employment at just 17.0 per cent.

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[1] Sustained employment and sustained education account for 91 per cent of Buckinghamshire’s school leavers, with 6 per cent of students having unsustained destinations (i.e. less than two terms duration) and 3 per cent having unknown destinations.

Table 2: School leavers’ destination after Key Stage 5, 2015/16


Source: Department of Education, 2017


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