Education Outcomes for Looked After Children 2024/25

School leavers post school destinations

This section presents statistics on the destinations of the estimated 1,049  young people who were looked after during the period 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025 who left school during 2024/25. It also presents data on children looked after before the last year, including an additional 427 school leavers most recently looked after for some duration since turning 12 years old and a further 616 school leavers looked after some time between the ages of 5 and 12.

Initial destinations relate to the activity undertaken by young people approximately three months after the end of the school year (October 2025). Follow-up destinations relate to activities undertaken 9 months after the end of the school year (April 2026). School leavers who are engaged in higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, employment or are undertaking personal skills development are classified as having a ‘positive destination’. Other destinations include unemployed seeking, unemployed not seeking and unknown. See background notes for more information.

Headline findings

• Since 2009/10 the proportion of school leavers looked after during the year who enter initial positive destinations has increased overall from 58.1% to 84.2%. However, this has decreased from 85.3% in 2023/24. Over the same period, the proportion in a positive follow-up destination increased overall from 42.0% in 2009/10 to 73.0% 2024/25. This included an increase in the latest year from 72.4% in 2023/24.
• In 2024/25, the gap between the proportion of looked after leavers compared to all leavers who enter higher education as an initial destination was 34.5 percentage points. This is an increase on 2023/24 (32.5 percentage points). There has, however, been minimal change in the overall gap between looked after leavers and all leavers entering higher education since 2009/10, when the gap was 35.2 percentage points).
• The proportion of leavers last looked after between 5 and 12 years old in a positive initial destination (89.1%) was higher than both those looked after since the age of 12 (81.5%) and those looked after in the latest year (85.3%).
• The gap between the proportion of looked after leavers compared to all leavers who are in positive follow-up destinations was 20.5 percentage points. This gap has decreased compared to 2009/10 (44 percentage points) and remains fairly consistent with 2023/24 (20.7 percentage points).
• School leavers last looked after between 5 and 12 years old were more likely to be in a positive follow-up destination (77.9%) than those last looked after since the age of 12  (75.2%) or those looked after in the last year (73.0%).

Initial destinations

In 2024/25, three months after leaving school, those looked after within the year (84.2%) were less likely to be in a positive destination compared to all school leavers (95.7%), as shown in Table 18. The percentage of looked after children in specific positive destinations also differs from the proportion of all school leavers. Looked after school leavers were more likely to be in further education (48.6%) compared to all school leavers (26.0%) and noticeably less likely to be in higher education (7.8% compared to 42.3%).

The proportion of leavers looked after between 5 and 12 years old who were in a positive initial destination (89.1%) was higher than both those looked after since turning 12 years old (but not in the last year) (81.5%) and those looked after in the latest year (85.2%). They also had a higher proportion in higher education (10.9%) and employment (16.6%) than those looked after since turning 12 years old (9.4% and 16.4% respectively). Nevertheless, these proportions remain lower than for all school leavers where 42.3% are in higher education and 21.6% are in employment.

Table 18: Percentage of leavers by initial destination

Percentage of leavers by initial destination (3 months after leaving school) for looked after school leavers and all leavers, 2024/25 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4].

[Note 1] Positive destinations include higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, employment, personal skills development and, for the years where applicable, activity agreements.

[Note 2] Due to the effects of rounding some totals may not equal the sum of their parts.

[Note 3] There has been a change to the way in which Personal Skills Development activity is categorised in these statistics. For more information see the background notes.

[Note 4] All pupil data taken from Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations

The percentage of school leavers looked after within the year in a positive initial destination has increased overall from 58.1% in 2009/10 to 84.2% in 2024/25, although there has been a decrease in the last two years from 85.3% in 2023/24 and 86.4% in 2022/23. The percentage of all school leavers in a positive initial destination has similarly increased overall from 2009/10, from 87.7% to 95.7% in 2024/25, although has remained unchanged since the previous year. This shows a considerable decrease in the gap between looked after school leavers and all leavers overall compared to 2009/10 (Chart 7). There has been a particular overall increase in the proportion of looked after leavers entering further education, increasing from 27.4% in 2009/10 to 48.6% in 2024/25. Conversely, there has been a large overall decrease in the proportion of looked after leavers unemployed and seeking employment, from 35.3% to 8.1% over the same period.

Chart 7: Initial destinations of school leavers

Percentage of school leavers in positive initial destinations for school leavers looked after within the year and for all leavers, 2009/10 to 2024/25.

Follow-up destinations

In 2024/25, 73.0% of school leavers looked after during the year were in positive follow-up destinations (9 months after leaving school) (Table 19). This compares to 93.5% of all school leavers, and is 11.2 percentage points lower than the proportion in positive initial destinations. The proportion of school leavers looked after during the year who reported as unemployed was 3.2 percentage points higher at follow-up (18.2%) compared to initial destinations (15.0%).

School leavers last looked after between 5 and 12 years old were more likely to be in a positive destination at follow-up (77.9%) than those last looked after since the age of 12 (75.2%) or those looked after in the last year (73.0%). This represents a reduction between initial and follow-up of 11.2 percentage-points for those looked after between ages 5 and 12 and a 10 percentage-point reduction for those looked after since 12 years old. The greatest decrease between initial and follow-up destinations for those looked after was related to further education, down 9.6 percentage points for those looked after between 5 and 12 and 8.9 percentage points for those looked after since 12 years old.

Table 19: Follow-up destinations of school leavers

Percentage of leaveres by follow-up destination (9 months after leaving school) for looked after school leavers and all leavers, 2024/25 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3].

[Note 1] Postiive destinations include higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, employment, personal skills development and, for the years where applicable, activity agreements.

[Note 2] Due to the effects of rounding some totals may not equal the sum of their parts.

[Note 3] All pupils data taken from Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations.

There has been an overall narrowing of the gap between school leavers looked after within the year and all school leavers in terms of proportions in positive follow-up destinations (Chart 7b). In 2009/10, 42.0% of looked after school leavers had a positive follow-up destination compared to 73.0% in 2024/25. This is an increase from 72.4% in 2023/24. This compares to an increase from 85.9% to 93.5% for all school leavers between 2009/10 and 2024/25.

The proportion of school leavers looked after within the year in further education has shown the largest increase (20.3 percentage point increase between 2009/10 and 2024/25). There has been a considerable decrease in the proportion of looked after school leavers unemployed and seeking work since 2009/10 (30.7 percentage point decrease).

Chart 7b: Follow-up destinations fo school leavers

Percentage of school leavers in positive follow-up destinations for school leavers looked after within the year and for all leaveres, 2009/10 to 2024/25.

Destination by placement type

In general, school leavers looked after within the year who were in a community setting were more likely to be in a positive initial or follow-up destination than those in a residential setting (Table 20). Of the school leavers based in the community, 86.0% were in positive initial destinations, dropping to 76.6% when asked at the follow-up survey. Comparatively, of those looked after in residential accomodations, 79.1% were in positive initial destinations, dropping to 64.6% at follow-up.

School leavers looked after within the year in community settings who were placed with foster carers provided by or purchased by a local authority were most likely to be in a positive initial destination (93.9% and 97.3% respectively). For follow-up destinations, those with foster carers purchased by a local authority had the highest proportion in positive destinations (90.5%), followed by foster carers provided by a local authority (87.0%). Those looked after a home had the lowest proportion in positive initial or follow-up destinations (73.3% and 63.0% respectively).

For school leavers looked after within the year in residential settings, those in a local authority home had the higher positive initial destination (82.4%).

School leavers with more than one placement showed lower levels of positive initial and follow-up destinations (78.1% and 58.6% respectively) compared to all those looked after in the year (84.2% and 73.0% respectively).

Table 20: Positive destinations  by placement type

Number and percentage of looked after school leavers in a positive initial and follow-up destination by placement type, 2024/25 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3].

[Note 1] Some children who were included in the initial destination survey could not be contacted at the time of the follow up destination survey. This is why the total number of children in each survey differs. Positive destinations include higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, employment and personal skills development.

[Note 2] Includes supported accommodation and with prospective adopteres.

[Note 3] Includes in residential school, in secure care accommodation and crisis care.