Number of pupils with top grades fall as more opt to study at NI universities

THE number of young people leaving school with top exam grades is falling in Northern Ireland.

There are also signs that the trend for young people to opt for a university elsewhere — the socalled ‘brain drain’ — is starting to reverse.

Fewer school leavers also headed to university, with more going straight into the workplace.

The details emerge in a Department of Education report looking at choices made by school leavers after the 2022/23 academic year.

It shows over two-thirds (68.2%) of grammar school pupils opt for university.

Overall, 41.5% of over 23,000 school leavers went on to university, a significant drop from the 47.9% just three years ago.

Only 21.4% of non-grammar pupils followed the same path, with almost twice as many (40.4%) heading to further education colleges.

Overall, 30.3% chose the further education route — up from 27.4% the year before.

A significantly higher number of Catholic pupils (44.7%) extended their studies at university compared to 39.2% from the Protestant community.

Fewer Catholics became unemployed on leaving school — 10.9% compared to 11.6% of Protestants.

Overall, the trend for young people heading off to university elsewhere is changing, with more continuing studies in NI.

Some 77.9% of school leavers remained here to attend university in 2022/23, up from 73.1% in 2021/22, while 20.4% moved to Great Britain – down from 25.2%. Just 1.7% go elsewhere.

School leavers who identify as Catholic are much more likely to remain in Northern Ireland if they go on to attend university. Some 82.8% remain here while 15.4% choose to study at other GB universities with 1.8% heading elsewhere.

Almost a quarter of young Protestant school leavers head to institutions in Great Britain (24.1%) with 74.9% choosing to attend a university in NI.

The statistics also show that females are still leaving school with higher grades than their male classmates.

Some 79.4% of female school leavers achieve at least five GCSES (including English and maths) compared to 72.9% of males achieving that standard.

Overall, the GCSE results achieved by school leavers across Northern Ireland in 2022/23 were the lowest in the past three years, with 76.1% leaving school with at least five GCSES that include English and maths. That figure fell from 78% the year before.

At 89.8% in 2022/23, the proportion of school leavers achieving at least any five GCSES at grades A*-C or equivalent has decreased by 2.1 percentage points from 2021/22 (91.9%).

Again, pupils attending grammar schools do significantly better, with 96.0% leaving school with at least five GCSES overall, compared to 61.1% of non-grammar school leavers.

What area of Northern Ireland pupils live in can also have a significant impact on their results.

The Lisburn and Castlereagh council area leads the way in producing the most pupils leaving with high grades, with some 83.0% achieving five or more GCSES (including English and maths) and 63.0% leaving with three A-levels to their name.

Those living in the Fermanagh and Omagh area also fare well, with 81.0% achieving five GCSES on leaving school (including English and Maths) and 60.1% gaining three A-levels.

The Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area was the only one to see fewer than half of school leavers pass two or more A-levels (47.3%).

The area also produced the second lowest number of leavers with five GCSES (72.3%), though Belfast pupils fared worse, with 71.7% leaving with five GCSES (including English and Maths).