Current status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further the Scottish Funding Council report, College Statistics 2024-25, which was published on 4 February 2026, what assessment it has made of the impact that enrolling primary and secondary 1 to 3 pupils with colleges has on colleges’ capacity to meet demand from senior-phase pupils and young people aged 16–24, including in regions where colleges report unmet demand.
The Scottish Government notes that SFC’s 2024–25 guidance directed colleges to prioritise senior-phase pupils and cap activity outwith the senior phase at 1.5% of credits, and colleges have responded accordingly. Senior-phase enrolments rose by around 7% to over 30,000, while primary and S1–S3 enrolments fell by 19.2%. This shift shows that colleges are directing capacity toward senior-phase learners and 16–24-year-olds. Given the small, capped, and declining scale of activity for younger pupils, the Government assesses that their enrolment does not constrain colleges’ ability to meet demand from priority age groups.