The president of the Nationwide Union of College students Scotland described the “dramatic drop” as “disturbing however sadly unsurprising.”
In 2010 there have been a complete of 12,725 Larger entries from Scotland’s faculties, however that determine has fallen in yearly since. The biggest falls came about in 2012, when greater than 1600 locations have been misplaced, and 2019, when entries fell by greater than 1500.
Final yr, there have been simply 3275 Larger entries from Scotland’s faculties.
The variety of entries for Nationwide 5 (beforehand Intermediate 2) programs in faculties has additionally fallen sharply, from 5614 in 2010 to simply 2410 in 2023. SQA knowledge reveals that the biggest drop occurred in 2019 when greater than 900 locations have been misplaced, though numbers truly elevated barely between 2022 and 2023.
READ MORE: 4 Scottish faculties are dealing with ‘vital cashflow points’
The discount in Nationwide 4 (beforehand Intermediate 1) entries has been proportionately much more extreme. In 2010 there have been 1045 entries from faculties, however by 2023 this had fallen to simply 350. Entries at this stage truly elevated considerably in 2017, leaping from 944 to 1335, however by 2021 had fallen again to simply 905. Remarkably, the variety of Nationwide 4 entries was greater than halved between 2022 and 2023, falling from 835 to simply 350.
At this stage, the biggest declines have been seen in English, Maths and English for Audio system of Different Languages {qualifications}, which between them accounted for 280 of the 485 programs misplaced in a single yr.
Scotland’s faculty sector has seen vital change and controversy over the interval in query. Between 2010 and 2014 the whole variety of faculties was decreased via a collection of mergers – for instance, Metropolis of Glasgow School was fashioned when Central School, Glasgow School of Nautical Research and the Glasgow Metropolitan School have been introduced collectively as a single organisation. This course of considerably decreased the variety of separate faculties in Scotland.
Schools throughout the nation have additionally confronted severe monetary challenges in recent times, with a current Audit Scotland report highlighting that dangers to the monetary sustainability of the sector have elevated on account of a real-terms funding minimize of 8.5% from the Scottish Authorities.
READ MORE: Union and employers look to authorities for higher faculty funding
NUS Scotland President, Ellie Gomersall, mentioned: “It’s disturbing however sadly unsurprising to see such a dramatic drop in college students coming into these faculty programs.
“Years of neglect and actual phrases cuts to varsity funding, which have additionally resulted in cuts to educating employees, imply that college students – and disproportionately these from Scotland’s poorest communities – are paying the worth.
“To make issues even worse, the Scottish Authorities’s current draft funds proposes money phrases cuts to additional training – a disastrous transfer which demonstrates they’re ignoring the more and more acute disaster in Scotland’s faculties.
“Schools are a lifeline for a lot of in our most deprived communities and are key to the Scottish Authorities’s acknowledged goals of tackling poverty and shutting the attainment hole.
“Regardless of this, faculties and college students have been regularly undervalued and underfunded. If the federal government is severe about its objectives, it should correctly spend money on our future and heed NUS Scotland’s calls to Cease the Cuts to our training.”
Shona Struthers, Chief Government of Schools Scotland mentioned: “During the last 14 years, patterns of studying have modified massively with the buoyant labour market, competitors from universities, and altering demographics, all altering the {qualifications} folks acquire in school.
“The variety of college students enrolling on faculties programs has been steadily growing over the previous few years with an enormous array of {qualifications} on supply and quite a few methods to be taught together with on-line, hybrid, and in-person, which college students can select to take up both full-time or part-time.”
Nevertheless, an EIS spokesperson argued that the “large drop in Nationwide Qualification entries from faculties have to be set within the context of over a decade of drastic cuts to FE funding.”
She added: “This has impacted staffing ranges and the job safety of lecturers which in flip has impacted studying alternatives for college students. Fewer sources has led to a narrowing of programs out there – notably NQs, which magnetize much less funding than another FE {qualifications} – and to greater drop-out charges, particularly among the many most deprived college students.
“The Hayward Report into {qualifications} reform and the Withers evaluation of post-school training every highlighted the need of qualification pathways tailor-made to learners’ wants, together with apprenticeships and a variety of accredited {qualifications}. The EIS helps such a variety, however this should embrace NQs which proceed to be extremely valued by employers, studying institutions and college students -including those that could have missed out at college.
“It’s clear, nonetheless, that the Scottish Authorities’s current declaration of intent to slash the FE funds by £58.7 million could have a devastating affect on faculties’ means to offer college students with the vary of {qualifications} they want.”
A Scottish Authorities spokesperson mentioned: “We anticipate faculties to ship probably the most applicable learner supply all through life, together with via upskilling and reskilling, whether or not full-time, part-time or a tailor-made combine, taking account of the various wants of learners.
“Schools reply flexibly to the abilities calls for of the area and communities they serve by tailoring their supply in keeping with the financial wants of their areas, and thru working intently with employers.
“General, current statistics present that the variety of college students enrolling in faculty from S4 to S6 has elevated by 47% since 2012-13.”
