Catch21 Productions | Raising the school leaving age

Raising the school leaving age

The government has recently announced plans to raise the school leaving age from 16 to 17 by 2013, and then up to 18 by 2015. Not all students will be required to stay in formal education like A levels and other diplomas, as the new proposal also includes vocational training schemes and apprenticeships. This is to make sure that young people in Britain will enter the workplace with the necessary skills to compete both at home and abroad.

In order to enforce these new laws, Children's Secretary Ed Balls has outlined a series of penalties including fines of up to £200 or community service that will be issued to any young person that does not attend education or training. Those keen to get into the workforce after leaving school will be permitted to, although it looks as though employers will be obligated to release young employees for at least one day a week to complete training.

Opposition

The proposed changes have met with opposition from both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. Shadow children's secretary, Michael Gove has agreed that we need more young people in education between the ages of 16 and 18, but feels that the new legislation is badly thought out. "It will mean more disruptive children in schools and colleges, fewer jobs available for 16-18-year-olds, and an even wider gap between rich and poor." (Gove cited in CURTIS, 2007) David Lewis, of the Liberal Democrats, has aid that the plans are "based on threats, compulsion, fines, inspectors and criminal sanctions. In practice, there will be a hard core of young people who will simply be unable to engage with education at 17." (Lewis cited in CURTIS, 2007)