MORE Dumbarton youngsters are entering a “positive destination” after leaving school, West Dunbartonshire Council has revealed.

The amount of school leavers going on to higher or further education, training, voluntary work or employment, has increased in two of Dumbarton’s high schools, with Vale of Leven Academy showing a 0.5 per cent increase from 85.2 per cent to 85.7 per cent and Dumbarton Academy seeing a 1.9 per cent increase from 91.5 per cent to 93.4 per cent – the highest figure in the area.

However, not every school in the area is showing a positive report as Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School saw a drop of 1.6 per cent, from 91.8 per cent to 90.2 per cent.

Both Clydebank secondary schools present a similar picture as Clydebank High declined by 2.2 per cent from 91.1 per cent to 88.9 per cent and St Peter the Apostle High went down by 1.6 per cent from 88 per cent to 87 per cent – the lowest figure across the region.

While the amount of youngsters going into employment was hailed a success – showing an increase of 2.4 per cent – Councillor Kath Ryall voiced her concerns about the number of pupils who failed to sustain their further or higher education destination.

All five schools reported a decrease in the number of young people who initially attended higher education compared with the number who were still there during the period of 2014/15.

Only Dumbarton Academy showed an increase of those sustaining a position in further education, while all others declined.

At last week’s education services committee she said: “I would be concerned about digging deeper to why young people are not sustaining higher and further education destinations. Is it because they can’t afford it?”

Senior education officer, Andrew Brown, agreed there is still further analysis to be completed in order to determine what more can be done to ensure young people sustain a destination.

However, Cllr Ian Murray added: “I’m a wee bit concerned that we’re getting carried away about some of this stuff that’s overall positive or overall negative.

"Really if somebody goes to college because there wasn’t a job opportunity and it then comes up they say I’m going to get that.

"These things happen – we don’t all get it right first time around.”