Trends over time in sustained destinations following 16–18 study in the Greater West of England

7 Mar 2026

This data insight describes trends in sustained destinations following completion of 16 to 18 study by students in the Greater West of England, defined here as Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

Using official statistics from the Department for Education (DfE), it presents the proportion of students who completed 16 to 18 study in state-funded schools and colleges by the end of the 2022/23 academic year, and progressed to sustained education, employment or apprenticeship destinations in the following academic year.

Comparisons are provided with England and England excluding London.

A destination is classified as sustained where participation continued for at least six months during the follow-up academic year.

80.3%

Students progressing to any sustained destination in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

8.3%

Students progressing to sustained apprenticeships in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

–1.5 pp

Change in sustained education destinations in the Greater West of England, 2021/22 to 2022/23

+3.9 pp

Change in sustained employment destinations in the Greater West of England, 2019/20 to 2022/23

Trend in sustained destinations following 16–18 study, GWE

This visualisation shows trends in sustained destinations following completion of 16 to 18 study in the Greater West of England from 2016/17 to 2022/23, based on the academic year in which students completed 16 to 18 study.

Across the period shown, the proportion of students progressing to any sustained destination ranged from 80.0% in 2019/20 to 83.1% in 2017/18. The proportion was 80.3% in 2022/23.

Sustained education destinations increased between 2018/19 and 2020/21, reaching 41.3% in 2020/21, before decreasing to 35.9% in 2022/23.

Over the same period, sustained employment destinations ranged from 32.1% in 2019/20 to 36.0% in 2022/23. The proportion of students progressing to sustained apprenticeships declined between 2017/18 and 2019/20 and increased to 8.3% in 2022/23.

Sustained destinations following 16–18 study: GWE and England comparison

This visualisation compares sustained education, apprenticeship and employment destinations in the Greater West of England and England between 2018/19 and 2022/23.

In 2022/23, 35.9% of students in the Greater West of England progressed to sustained education destinations, compared with 43.0% in England.

Over the same period, sustained employment destinations accounted for 36.0% of students in the Greater West of England and 28.3% in England.

Progression to sustained apprenticeships in the GWE was 8.3% in 2022/23, compared with 7.4% in England. Across the period shown, apprenticeship rates in the Greater West of England were consistently higher than those recorded for England, while sustained education destinations were lower and sustained employment destinations were higher.

Annual change in sustained destinations, 2021/22 to 2022/23

This visualisation shows the percentage point change in sustained education, apprenticeship and employment destinations between 2021/22 and 2022/23 across local authorities in the Greater West of England, with comparison to England and England excluding London.

In the Greater West of England, progression to sustained apprenticeships increased by 0.8 percentage points, while sustained education destinations decreased by 1.5 percentage points and sustained employment destinations increased by 0.3 percentage points.

Across local authorities, changes in sustained apprenticeship destinations ranged from –0.1 percentage points in North Somerset to +1.6 percentage points in Bath and North East Somerset.

Over the same period, changes in sustained education destinations ranged from –3.2 percentage points in Bristol to +0.5 percentage points in Swindon. Changes in sustained employment destinations ranged from –2.7 percentage points in Swindon to +1.0 percentage points in Wiltshire.

For comparison, sustained apprenticeship destinations increased by 0.7 percentage points in both England and England excluding London. Sustained education destinations decreased by 2.1 percentage points in England and 2.2 percentage points in England excluding London while sustained employment destinations increased by 0.4 percentage points and 0.5 percentage points respectively.

Medium-term change in sustained destinations, 2019/20 to 2022/23

This visualisation presents the percentage point change in sustained education, apprenticeship and employment destinations between 2019/20 and 2022/23 across local authorities in the Greater West of England, with comparison to England and England excluding London.

Between 2019/20 and 2022/23, sustained education destinations in the Greater West of England decreased by 4.4 percentage points, while sustained employment destinations increased by 3.9 percentage points and sustained apprenticeship destinations increased by 0.7 percentage points. Across local authorities, decreases in sustained education destinations ranged from 2.5 percentage points in South Gloucestershire to 5.4 percentage points in North Somerset.

Over the same period, increases in sustained employment destinations ranged from 0.7 percentage points in Swindon to 5.5 percentage points in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Changes in sustained apprenticeship destinations across local authorities ranged from 0.4 percentage points in Wiltshire to 1.4 percentage points in Bristol.

For comparison, sustained apprenticeship destinations increased by 0.4 percentage points in England and 0.5 percentage points in England excluding London, while sustained education destinations decreased by 4.0 percentage points and 4.2 percentage points, respectively. Sustained employment destinations increased by 4.0 percentage points in England and 3.97 percentage points in England excluding London over the same period.

Caveats

These statistics are based on official Department for Education (DfE) sustained destinations data. A destination is classified as sustained where an individual participated in education, employment or an apprenticeship for a continuous period of at least six months during the academic year following completion of 16 to 18 study.

Caution should be applied when comparing results across years due to changes in cohort composition and reporting practices. National and regional figures are rounded to reduce the risk of disclosure.