§ Mr. Doigasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the percentage of pupils who remained at school beyond the statutory leaving age of 16 years in
TABLE 1 NUMBERS* OF PUPILS STAYING ON VOLUNTARILY IN ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS† IN TAYSIDE REGION Session‡ Age at 1st January 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78§ 1977–78*§ on a percentage basis 16≑ 2,731 2,744 2,569 2,615 38.8 17 1,511 1,363 1,401 1,546 22.0 18+ 204 182 153 110 1.6
TABLE 2 PERCENTAGES* OF PUPILS STAYING ON VOLUNTARILY IN ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS† IN SCOTLAND Session‡ Age at 1st January 1974–75 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78§ 16≑ 38.5 38.2 39.0 40.3 39.3 17 20.8 19.0 18.3 18.1 18.3 18+ 3.3 2.3 2.0 2.2 1.6 Notes: * The figures for Tayside can be given on a percentage basis only for session 1977–78, and even for this year the percentages are calculated on a different basis from the national figures since it is only possible to go back to 1974–75, the first year for which pupil numbers are available on a regional basis. Thus the percentages for Tayside are percentages of the 13-year-old cohort three years previously, the 14-year-old cohort three years previously and the 15-year-old cohort three years previously, respectively, while those for Scotland are percentages of 13-year-olds three, four and five years previously. † Excluding special schools. ‡ At autumn of session. § Provisional. ≑ From session 1976–77 pupils who reach the age of 16 in January and February of each year become entitled to leave school at the previous Christmas. In 1976–77 and 1977–78 therefore there were a number of these pupils, aged 15 at 1st January, who would have been eligible to leave at Christmas 1976 or Christmas 1977 but who chose to remain at school after that. These pupils are not included in the numbers and percentages given in the tables.