Literacy figures are high but numeracy levels go down

Tuesday’s North Ayrshire Cabinet meeting heard that 92 per cent of leavers achieved at least level 4 literacy, and 81 per cent achieved at least level 5 literacy. 

 

Targets have been set to increase both of these figures for the next session.

 

In six out of the last seven years, North Ayrshire leavers have outperformed the virtual comparator in level 4 numeracy. 

 

With the exception of 2021, NAC performance has been broadly the same as the national figure over the same period. In 2025 the NAC performance (92 per cent) was higher than both the national and virtual comparators. 

 

The performance of North Ayrshire’s leavers in level 5 numeracy has historically tracked above the virtual comparator and in line with national figures. However, there has been a slight decline in attainment in 2025 for this measure to 69 per cent.

 

Performance in literacy at Level 5 remains a strength, while Level 5 numeracy has dipped slightly in the most recent year, leading to focused improvement work across schools. 

 

The average total tariff score rose to 864, showing renewed improvement in overall attainment. 

 

North Ayrshire school leavers are outperforming the national figures across a range of SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) deciles. 

 

Outcomes for leavers in the most deprived communities remain a relative strength, with strong performance across several deprivation measures. 

 

The priority is to sustain this progress while improving attainment.

 

Particular highlights include the percentage of learners who left with at least five qualifications at level 3 or better, and the percentage who left with at least five level 6 qualifications or better. 

 

Positive destinations remain very strong at 95.7 per cent, above the virtual comparator and in line with national performance. Maintaining this strength, especially for the most deprived learners, remains an important priority for the service and one which will be supported by integrating the Employability Service into the Education Directorate. 

 

The number of school leavers in academic session 2024-25 was 1396. This is the second lowest number of school leavers in the last five years. The percentage of S4 leavers has decreased from 2024 whilst the percentage of S5 and S6 leavers are broadly in line with the last three years.

 

The percentage of learners leaving school with at leave five level 5 qualifications (e.g. National 5s) has fluctuated somewhat over the last five years, both locally and nationally. Schools will be required to set specific targets to increase the proportion of learners leaving with at least five National 5 qualifications.

 

When filtered for deprivation (not displayed in table), 54 per cent of North Ayrshire’s leavers from the 20% most deprived areas by SIMD achieve at least five level 5 qualifications. This is above the national figure of 53 per cent and puts North Ayrshire in 11th position overall relative to all local authorities in Scotland.

 

The percentage of school leavers who achieve at least one level 6 qualification (e.g. Higher level) is a key national performance indicator.

 

There has been a notable improvement in North Ayrshire’s performance at level 6 (equivalent to Higher) in 2025. Indeed, over the last five years, North Ayrshire leavers have performed better than the virtual comparator and Quad partner authorities. 

 

When filtered for deprivation, 29 per cent of North Ayrshire’s leavers from the 20 per cent most deprived areas by SIMD achieve at least five level 6 qualifications. This is significantly above the national figure of 24 per cent and puts North Ayrshire in fourth position relative to all local authorities in Scotland.

 

In 2025, 22 per cent  of learners in North Ayrshire left school with at least one level 7 qualification (equivalent to Advanced Higher). This is consistent with the previous year, but a change from the previous comparative position, which had been generally in line with or above the virtual comparator and Quad partner authorities. 

 

At 22 per cent, North Ayrshire’s performance in this measure is still significantly higher than the pre-pandemic years, where the figure tended to be between 18 to 19 per cent  on average in the five years to 2019. Nevertheless, a specific focus will be maintained on this measure. 

 

Schools will be required to set specific targets to increase the proportion of learners leaving with at least one level 7 qualification.