Post-16 Education and Training

Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET)

Annual data to March 2021 showed that 3.0% of young people aged 16-17 were not in education, employment or training (NEET). This was higher than the England average (2.8%). Annual data to March 2021 showed that 6.7% of young people aged 16 - 17 with SEND (EHCP) were not in education, employment or training (NEET) or not Known. This was lower than England average (9.3%). At SEN Support level 5.9% of young people aged 16 - 17 were NEET, which is lower than the England average (9.6%). The full picture is available at Department of Education

Apprenticeships

The number of apprenticeship starts fell in 2019/20, across all age groups and apprenticeship level. Overall number of apprenticeship starts fell by a similar amount nationally. Apprenticeships span a wide range of subjects, with 31% of recent starts being in the business, administration and law sector, and 30% in health, public services and care (see table below).

A Levels

There are no official A Level participation rates published, but crude rates can be calculated using exam entrant numbers. Accordingly, 33% of Wakefield’s 18–year-olds took at least one A Level in 2019/20, compared to 31% across England as a whole. Of the 1,112 students entered for an A Level or Applied A Level in 2019/20, 662 were female and 450 were male. This gender bias is slightly more pronounced in Wakefield District than it is across England as a whole. Results for 2020 show the average points score per A Level entry (38.85) was slightly lower than the England average (39.51) (all schools, not just state funded), while 11.6% of pupils achieved AAB grades or better, compared to 24.2% across England as a whole. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in 2020. Pupils scheduled to sit GCSE and A/AS level exams in 2020 were awarded either a centre assessment grade (based on what the school or college believed the student would most likely have achieved had exams gone ahead) or their calculated grade using a model developed by Ofqual - whichever was the higher of the two. In Wakefield District there tend to be higher than average A level entries for business, administration, finance and law A levels, and for arts, media and publishing A levels. Conversely, there are below average numbers of entries for science and mathematics A levels, and social sciences A levels (see table below).