Pupil performance in West Lothian rises over last five years

An update to the council's Education Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel provided evidence that local school pupils are punching above their weight in the majority of Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF) award measurements.

Over the last five years, West Lothian learners have achieved considerable improvement across almost all categories, consistently outperforming the Scottish average in nearly every area. 

This includes Level 5 qualifications, such as National 5 for equivalent awards in S4 pupils, and Level 6 awards, or Higher or equivalent for S5 and S6 pupils, and Level 7, or Advanced Higher Level. 

Executive councillor for education Andrew McGuire said: "It's fantastic to see West Lothian pupils are continuing to perform far better than the national average in the vast majority of SCQF measures.

"It's a tribute to the hard work put in by our pupils to achieve these superb results, as well as the great support they receive from the schools, parents/carers and their local communities.

"Good exam results can help create more opportunities for our young people, and give them a firm foundation for adult life, whether it's further study or work.

"We fully appreciate that academic study is not for everyone, and our schools also provide a range of opportunities out with SCQF exams to help everyone achieve their full potential."

The number of S4 learners achieving five or more Level 5 (Nat 5) awards has risen from 57% in 2019 to 76% in 2024. This improvement is significantly higher than the national average, which was 50% in 2019, and have not risen above 55% in the last five years.

For West Lothian S5 learners achieving Level 6 awards, such as Highers, the number has also risen substantially more the national average since 2019.  

The number of local pupils achieving one Higher or equivalent rose from 71% in 2019 to 82% in 2024, while the national average was 61% in 2019 and has not risen above 65% in the last five years.

More than 48% of S5 pupils in West Lothian achieved five or more Higher level awards in 2024, a rise from 41% in 2019. Nationally, this figure was 22% in 2019 and peaked at 25% in 2023.

For S6 pupils, the number achieving more than one Higher level award also climbed from 71% in 2019 to 87% in 2024. This compares to a national rise from 65% in 2019 to a peak of 69% in 2022.

West Lothian pupil performance is also measured against a virtual comparator, which looks at how pupils from across Scotland with a similar socio-economic profile as West Lothian learners achieved. These figures were broadly in line with national average, with local pupils consistently achieving substantially above expected in this measure too. 

Comparative data to include the 2024 exam results is expected to be available later this year.