Leaving school
By order, under Section 8 of the Education Act 1996, the
Secretary of State may determine the date that is to be the school
leaving date for the year. If you have any queries, please
discuss them with your child's school.
A person ceases to be of compulsory school age when he or
she:
- attains the age of 16 on or before the school leaving date;
or
- is 16 after that date but before the first day of the next
school year.
Under the Education (School Leaving Date) Order 1997 (SI 1997
No.1970), with effect from 1998, the school leaving date is
the last Friday in June for all pupils.
Guidance on the implications of the change to a single leaving
date is given in the
DfES
Circular 11/97 School Leaving Date for 16 Year
Olds.
It emphasises that, until the last Friday in June in the school
year in which children reach the age of 16:
- parents must ensure that they receive full-time education;
- local authorities must provide them with suitable education;
and
- employers may not employ them and nor may training providers
provide them with full-time Government-sponsored training.
This does not mean, however, that pupils must remain on the school
site up to that date. Work experience, educational visits, link
courses and similar provisions by a school would fall within the
category of an 'approved educational activity' and would not count
as an absence. Study leave may be granted which would be regarded
as an 'authorised absence'.
It is necessary to ensure that attendance registers are kept
until the leaving date with the appropriate symbols used to record
the attendance (even if off-site), the authorised absence or
absence of each pupil.
Children are of compulsory school age up to the last Friday in
June in the academic year of their 16th birthday. After this they
have reached the Mandatory School Leaving Age (MSLA) and they can
apply for their National Insurance Number and work full time.
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