What classes as full time education for CMS

[LillethCrane]

Legally only, if a child turns 18 in October, and has an apprenticeship which requires them to go to college for 1 day a week (max 8 hours), when would the CMS say child maintenance could cease? At the end of the academic year? Or when the child turns 18?

When the young person is over 16, the parent is only entitled to maintenance if the young person is in full time education. An apprenticeship with 1 day a week in college is not full-time education, so maintenance should cease before they start the apprenticeship.

www.employinganapprentice.com/does-an-apprenticeship-count-as-full-time-education/

"The short answer to this question is, yes, apprenticeships do count at full-time education in relation to the laws on leaving school. This means you may leave school at 16 and go on to an apprenticeship, and still be classed as in full-time education. The government states that if you want to leave school at 16 you must go on to one of the three things:
• Stay in full-time education, such as going to a sixth form or college.
• Do an apprenticeship or traineeship
• Spend at least 20 hours working or volunteering, alongside training or studying."

The law is inconsistent. Apprenticeships count as full-time education for some purposes, but not for child maintenance.

Once a child starts an apprenticeship they aren't considered a dependent, so child benefit stops, as does maintenance.

https://www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/advice/apprenticeships-parents#benefit