SCHOOL leavers in the Wee County have achieved higher than the national average when it came to entering a “positive destination”.

According to statistics, 96.5 per cent of all young people in Clackmannanshire have entered work, volunteering, training or further study within three months of leaving school in 2022.

That is higher than the Scottish figure of 95.7 per cent and is the highest in the Forth Valley area.

A total of 56.9 per cent of young people moved into further or higher education, down from last year's 66.8 per cent and in line with the national trend.

A third of young people entered employment, up from 28 per cent last year and above the Scottish rate of 25 per cent.

Those unemployed or seeking employment represented 2.4 per cent of the cohort, a slight fall from the previous year and mirroring national figures.

The statistics were released by the Scottish Government, based on data from Skills Development Scotland.

Cllr Graham Lindsay, spokesperson for education, said: “It is excellent to hear our young people are prospering as school leavers and to thrive in a post-pandemic landscape is an admirable achievement that they should be extremely proud of.

“The success reported by the Scottish Government clearly demonstrates the resilience and determination of our young people and I hope they continue to see success following their school-leaver destinations.”