School leaving age?

[DooNotAsISay]

DD is in Yr13. Bright but not academic. Does not want to go to uni. She has the vague offer of an apprenticeship to start in Sept, but wants to stop school now. We would like her to continue to complete her ALevels (no pressure on the results from us). She wants to leave now.
FYI - the apprenticeship seems to have come out of the blue, and we think there is an element of it being used to justify leaving school rather than something she really wants to do. I think we would feel happier if a. the apprenticeship was guaranteed and b. It was something we felt she absolutely wanted to do and had shown any previous inclination or aptitude, or have planned/prepared for this.

What’s the position on this? Can she leave school without parental consent?

we are concerned that if she leaves now and the apprenticeship doesn’t work out for her, it will be even harder for her to find a job/training with a gap in her education/training/work experience.

In theory she should be in some form of education / training until the end of y13.
In practice if she drops out now I doubt anyone will chase.
However you should inform child benefit and that will stop, and she won't get free prescriptions.
If she continues and gets eg EEE then she might be stopped from free education later to get Level 3 qualifications. Not sure on this, worth checking.
(Shame she didn't drop out after y12 and restart on something else eg a BTEC.)

Unless very unhappy, it seems a shame not to continue.

Thank you.
I think it’s fear of failure that has prompted this, but I don’t think she will do badly - predictions all Cs. But friends all super bright and heading for uni.
This has literally come out of nowhere and not planned at all - and the apprenticeship is not in a field which she has shown any interest previously, or for which she seems to show any understanding at all.

After GCSEs, we tried to persuade her to look at vocational qualifications and/or college, but she was pulled towards staying at school by her friendship group who were all staying.
Can she leave school without parental consent? In the absence of any alternative education or work until Sept, we would want her to stay.
she isn’t 18 until August

Can she leave without parental consent?
Well, de facto yes She can just stop attending.

she was pulled towards staying at school by her friendship group who were all staying.
it's so sad this happens. All our state schools round here stop at y11 so everyone has to make an active choice which is much better. (does have some disadvantages too).

I'd bribe/persuade her to stay maybe? As in if you leave it will be like this: (allowance stopped, have to get job, help more around house, not laze around on phone) whereas if you continue & work then ....

Or agree she can leave but only if she finds a job first?

Such a shame she didn't decide this before Sept.

I think I'd be a bit concerned about an under-researched apprenticeship too. If she's on course to get Cs at A Level she might find the apprenticeship actually quite a bit below her level in terms of the college course side - I work with a few people currently doing apprenticeships and the one lad who got good enough GCSEs to have gone on to A Level is finding it absolutely mind-numbingly boring. The actual 'apprentice' bit is fine, obviously, but the college course side of it is pitched at people who really struggled at GCSE.

If she’s on course to get Cs at A Level she might find the apprenticeship actually quite a bit below her level in terms of the college course side
This is exactly DH’s concern. DD is bright - plus she has amazing people skills. The apprenticeship she says she’s been offered is so out of scope of what she has ever talked about before. And even if does turn out to be valid, we simply can’t see it working out for her. She’s easily bored (which I think is the issue with ALevels, ie only three subjects, little variety - she’s a generalist not a specialist). She can’t even explain to us what the apprenticeship involves!

We have promised a car when she passes her test, but we could make that contingent on passing and, for example, staying in school, or finding a job.

What 'level' is the apprenticeship? (L2 = GCSE level, L3 = A level level)

Does it lead to a qualification that is required (eg Nursery worker, or Quantity Surveyor) or something that people can easily get jobs without and maybe work up (eg Hospitality)

Also is apprenticeship day release to college, or entirely on the job assessed?

Yes she can leave. You would just loose any benefits (like child benefit) and I think she wouldn't be able to claim job seekers allowance.
What is the apprenticeship in? Is is something she could get a part time job or volunteer job that is within the same field so she has experience before the official apprenticeship starts. Or could she start the apprenticeship now as we are only half a term into the academic year and for some apprenticeships the college based part can be done anytime or she might be able to quickly catch up.

Hush

sorry, don’t know what that was.
it’s a Level 2. No professional qualifications, no career profession from what we can see.
I do wonder if DD is comparing herself to her friends and writing herself off generally?
we’d have no hesitation in supporting her leaving school for the right thing. We don’t think this is it.

Level 2 is GCSE equivalent - is there a reason she can't go in at a higher level?

I can see you may feel cautious about saying what it is, but it might help (and really isn't particularly identifying).

Maybe she needs to talk to careers advice and/or go to some college open evenings (did she do that first time round). Doing a L2 apprenticeship seems below her capability.

Are you sure it's an official apprenticeship. Surely the point of them is to gain a professional qualification. Where has she found out about it. Some employees say it's an apprenticeship but it's just an excuse to take advantage and (illegally) pay under minimum wage.

My DS is at sixth form and a lot of pupils have dropped out in yr 13 for apprenticeships. They seem to have decided that Uni isn’t for them, and they want to be earning and working, rather than sitting at a desk in a high school.

Could you ask her what she's not enjoying about school. Offer to set up a mtg at school if there's any issues that can be sorted?

If not are there any available in areas that lead to careers? (A friends son is doing a post 18 one which will lead to accountancy quals eventually!)

Could you ask her what she's not enjoying about school. Offer to set up a mtg at school if there's any issues that can be sorted?

If not are there any available in areas that lead to careers? (A friends son is doing a post 18 one which will lead to accountancy quals eventually!)

Can you Google when her exams are to show her she’s not got that long left anyway ? She’s gone so far, it’s a shame to throw it away now, and a C isn’t bad, especially if she doesn’t need it for Uni.
If she got the A levels she could always go back to Uni, if she wants to in the future.

@KangarooKenny we have tried that approach. But I think it just panicked her about how little time she has to revise and prepare.
I think we will call school and suggest a meeting. I think it would be a discussion better facilitated by them in a positive way. So that if she does end up leaving school now, there’s a proper plan, with a decent apprenticeship and/or plan for college, not the half baked one that seems to be on offer.
Having googled, the organisation don’t actually offer apprenticeships currently - but there’s a vague thing about ‘looking to offer’ in the future. this makes us even more concerned tbh. That DD would just be used for cheap labour.

Oooh is college a possibility. Could she do some courses without so much focus on end of Yr exams. Portfolio/coursework/ modules.

The problem is she can have 3 funded years at 6th form and she is in her second already. She is too late to swap to a level 3 btec for this academic year