Teacher confused about school leaving age

[AElfgifu]

Everything I hear on the news and in the ed press indicates that the school leaving age has risen. This presumably means provision needs to expand to accommodate those who cannot be accepted onto the current courses, either because they are not qualified enough, or because the courses get too full.

However, we have officially received no information, instructions, staffing or budget allocation or anything. No one in my school or borough seems to have any idea what is supposed to be happening. In fact, we do offer a place to most students that apply to us anyway, but often not the place or the level they want, in which case they might not take up the offer, it is up to them.

Have any MNers come up against the raised school leaving age? what does it mean in practice for your DC?

The school leaving age has not been increased. The participation age has. Post year 11 kids can go into apprenticeships, or a job as long as the job provides some element of formal training.

Agree there may well not be enough apprenticeship providers though.

I'm really confused! who is checking up that 16 year olds are participating! Where are they going if everyone turns them down? Who is responsible for making sure they are offered, or accept something? What has changed in the instance of someone accepting a place then not attending - in the past they would have just been taken off role, end of. Really, no one has the foggiest, and we are supposed to be providing this! just wondering how it is panning out in other parts of the country.

Where are they going if everyone turns them down?

Where I live, this is very unlikely as there are lots of private training companies that provide warehousing skills training for those not at 6th form, college or doing an apprenticeship.

I'm guessing the units responsible for making sure they do something will be the same ones as those currently monitoring NEETs. Where I live, it is the local council role.

Unfortunately, I don't think this change will make any significant difference to the lives of young people. The vast majority of 16-18 year olds are occupied, some obviously with better prospects than others. It does nothing to improve the quality of education for those at the bottom, which is who it is aimed at.

The only group it will impact is those who would have been NEETs and now presumably will be 'truants'.

I agree with creamteas, DS(15) has one more year to go at school. Nothing has been said, no suggestion that there will be any 'where do you go from here' type meetings. Fortunately DS knows what he wants to do and has already got his application in (he wants to join the army as a junior soldier).

To my mind there is a huge gap in education. 15-18 is the age when students are making huge decisions which may affect them for years to come. This is the age where a bit of advice can go an awful long way.

I know far too many young people who have got to GCSE thinking that they can do absolutely anything. They have then started totally inappropriate courses which havent suited them and dont take them in the direction they want and have the aptitude for.

I heard this discussed at my local FE college and it seems that the answer is that nobody is monitoring this. Yes, when a child leaves school at the end of year 11, the school must know their destination and support them in getting a placement or whatever. But let's say a kid lines up an apprenticeship and then gets kicked off after a week or is accepted on a college course and changes their mind in the summer holidays - nobody counts and they are NEET without any checks built into the system to help and support.

As I understand it also no one is responsible for monitoring it. But as there is no emis grant anymore, and no benefits for 16-18, I guess the responsibility is the parents? Am I right in thinking there is no job seekers? Have the employment laws also changed in line? Can 16 year olds work full time? I work in a school, and I am very hazy on the details, but there is a non teaching member of staff that deals with work experience and work placements and she knows. (how long she will last I'm not sure) We do have a very good connexions person, but since all the cuts we hardly see her (sad)

Where are they going if everyone turns them down?

In my area the local FE college has "life skills" courses for those who can't cope with normal education. Kids with learning difficulties already can access quite a lot of support.

What will be interesting is what will happen to kids with major behavioural problems. I fear that kids who simply don't want to be in school will become criminalised.

I don't know if anyone is monitoring the post 16 year olds, all I know is that when we were in this position last year (my DS1 is in year 12 now) we were given one letter from the school AFTER the June exams. We did not receive any government/LA information either.

Fortunately he wanted to go to the school 6th form because where we live there is very limited choice or options for school leavers - we live in a rural community so if you don't want to go on into 6th form you need to go to one of the colleges which are 25 miles each way North and South of us.

The only other thing we received was a careers day leaflet again after the exams in the summer - rather late considering most colleges/6th form hold open days before the easter break.

I am pretty sure that from next year students have to carry on in some form of training/college/apprenticeship for 2 full years after school. This is just another balls up where someone in government comes up with an idea (purely to keep youth unemployment numbers down as they cannot claim job seekers) but local government are not equipped to deal with it.

OK rant over.

I never considered that these kids might be monitored/ policed. I have always assumed the idea was "must be in education or won't receive any benefits/ financial support" - which in most cases will only be child benefit for the parents anyway.

I suppose the monitoring will have to be of employers, to ensure that they are providing appropriate further training if they employ 16-18 year olds who are not also in education.

I've just checked and the employer would need to be providing accredited training for a young employee under school leaving age. I wonder if this might deter employers from taking kids in education part-time too? If that person left their college course, would their employer then become responsible for their continuing education?

It does seem a bit of a potential minefield!

Really good to read this. I hope someone gets more information. I am glad to know I am not alone in being in a quandry about this.

I am certain it is not being monitored also.

My DS1 is Y11. His school has told us about this and have been very pro-active in widening sixth form choices so there are courses suitable for everyone. A new sixth form block was opened a couple of years ago, and I think it was designed for expansion

Locally there has been a jobs/skills fair which school promoted, but as DS1 has always has an a levels/uni mindset and is on track for this it hasn't really affected him as such.

I believe that if students don't get C passes in English and Maths these subjects have form part of their core offer at school or FE college, not necessarily GCSE but functional skills.