Cumbria school leavers are more likely to be in work than education five years after completing their GCSEs, new figures show.

New figures from the Department for Education show what Cumbria school leavers are up to after finishing compulsory education.

For those who finished year 11 at a mainstream state school in 2017, 34 per cent were continuing their education five years later, while 37 per cent were in work.

Across England 43 per cent of leavers were in sustained education at this point, with 33 per cent in work.

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Take-up for apprenticeships is also down, despite government efforts to increase their popularity.

At least 10 per cent of those who finished key stage four between 2013 and 2015 were undertaking an apprenticeship three years later. But for those finishing in 2018 and 2019 this was 7 per cent and 7.6 per cent respectively.

Cumbria saw 19 per cent of the 2019 cohort in an apprenticeship at this point.