More students are leaving school without Level 3 or University Entrance now, than before the Covid-19 pandemic

The number leaving before their 17th birthday without those qualifications is a major factor in the falling achievement rates.

There have been steeper drops in Levels 1 and 2.

Education Hub founder Nina Hood says kids missed out on teaching during Covid -- and didn't build foundational knowledge and skills.

She says there's anecdotal data that students are showing lower motivation levels.