Current status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current levels of college enrolment for pupils below the senior phase represents value for money for the public purse, in light of the potential duplication of funding between the school and college sectors.
College enrolments for school pupils b demonstrate the important role colleges play in supporting an improved learner journey for all age groups. Between 2023-24 and 2024-25 enrolments below the senior phase fell by 19.2% (from 11,420 to 9,230), while senior-phase enrolments rose by 7.4% (from 27,950 to 30,030), in line with Scottish Funding Council (SFC) guidance directing colleges to prioritise senior-phase learners and limit activity for younger pupils to 1.5% of credits. Given this clear shift in activity, the small and regulated scale of below-senior-phase provision, and the safeguards in SFC credit guidance to avoid duplication of funding between schools and colleges, the Government considers current enrolment levels to represent value for money. SFC has confirmed that it will review this approach for future years in consultation with the sector.