Just 13 per cent of Lisneal pupils went to university

Twenty-eight pupils based in BT48 left school with no qualifications in 2011/12, a new investigation by The Detail has found. The area also had the highest number of school leavers.

It’s also emerged St Peter’s in Londonderry had the highest Free School Meal entitlement - a key deprivation indicator - in Northern Ireland at 65 per cent.

The analysis shows just 13 per cent of pupils leaving Lisneal College in 2011/12 went to university. Forty-five per cent went into Further Education (FE); 17 per cent ended up in employment or training; and 24.5 per cent ended up on the dole.

By contrast, 71 per cent of pupils leaving Foyle College went to university; 22.9 per cent ended up in FE. And at Oakgrove 12.9 per cent of school leavers went to university; 69.4 per cent ended up in FE.

The breakdown shows 33 per cent of Lisneal leavers were entitled to free meals, compared to 6.9 per cent at Foyle and 31.5 per cent at Oakgrove. Last November this paper reported how just 25 Protestant boys in receipt of free school meals who attended non-grammar schools throughout Northern Ireland went to university in 2011.The new data also show no pupil who left Thornhill College went into employment or training. The majority went to university. And 92 per cent of the 114 pupils who left Lumen Christi went on to university – compared to 50 per cent of the 229 pupils who left St Columb’s College. Almost 36 per cent of the St Columb’s College pupils went on to FE. Seventy-two percent of the pupils who left St Peter’s went on to FE; 15 per cent went into employment; 13 per cent were unemployed/unknown.