Thursday March 5th 2026
East Lothian Council headquarters
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
The number of East Lothian young people in further education, jobs and training after leaving school has risen to its highest ever level, above the national average and ranked second in Scotland.
In East Lothian 97.9% of young people were in a ‘positive destination’ after leaving school compared with a national average of 95.7%. This means that more young people in the county are securing jobs, education and training than in previous years and compared to other areas of Scotland.
Meanwhile the gap between school leavers from East Lothian’s most and least deprived areas moving into a positive destination is 0.04 percentage points.
The figures were revealed in new data published by Scottish Government. The School Leaver Attainment and Initial Leaver Destination Statistics 2024-25 also showed that the number of young people achieving five or more qualifications at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 had all increased compared to the previous year with levels 3, 5 and 6 at their highest levels in four years.
East Lothian Council’s Cabinet member for Education and Children’s and Family Services said:
“These is a fantastic outcome, not just for our schools and teams who work hard to help learners realise their potential, but for every young person who has moved from school into work, education and training.
“I am especially pleased to see the gap for young people in our most and least deprived areas at a level as to be practically equal. Opportunities should not depend on postcode and this figure demonstrates that our authority-wide focus in schools on closing the poverty-related attainment gap is making a real difference.
“Some young people will sail through school with a clear idea of where they want to be. For others there can be challenges along the way and we have dedicated teams available to help them. Alongside schools and learners, our teams also work closely with education partners, employers and industry to make sure that we give young people the best grounding for whatever path they choose while also developing skills that will drive our economy.
“These figures are a measure of all of our collective work and give us rich information to build on this success to benefit learners now and in future.”
East Lothian Council’s employability service, East Lothian Works, offers support to learners that will help them succeed in school and the wider world. This includes gaining qualifications across a range of levels and subjects, some not traditionally associated with schools such as construction, working with employers to create apprenticeship opportunities, supporting attendance at college and delivering programmes that build skills, self-esteem and confidence.
The Equity and Inclusion Education Outreach Service was developed to provide educational support to children and young people where it has been identified they will benefit from a more bespoke approach. This could include learners struggling to attend school for physical or mental health reasons.
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