Raising of school leaving age in England and Wales

[2] There were exemptions for illness, living more than a certain distance (typically one mile) from a school, or certification of having reached the required standard (which varied by board) which were made mandatory across England and Wales by the 1880 act.

[2] Ensuring that children of poorer families attended school proved difficult, as it was more tempting to send them working if the opportunity to earn extra income was available.

A focus of concern among educationalists during this period was the idea that young boys leaving school were forsaking apprenticeships in exchange for "dead-end" jobs which were higher paid in the short term but had little opportunity for advancement.

There were also plans for expansion in tertiary education, by raising the participation age to 18, but cuts in public spending after World War I made this impractical.

Sir Percy Harris claimed the measure would contribute positively to both education and employment alike without heavy financial burdens being imposed on taxpayers.

[3][11] This act also recommended compulsory part-time education for all children until the age of 18, but was dropped to cut spending after World War II.

[14] The 11+ examination was introduced in the 1940s to determine if a child should be eligible for a grammar school, secondary modern or technical college, under the Tripartite System,[11] but has since been phased out across the majority of the United Kingdom, with just several boroughs in England[15] and Northern Ireland[16] still using it.

At this time, half of the National Service recruits into the army who were in the two highest rated ability groups had left school at 15.

This solution proved popular, not only due to the low cost involved for materials and construction, but also the speed which these buildings could be erected.

Many were supplied by F. Pratten and Co Ltd.[21][22][23][24] The ROSLA buildings were delivered in self-assembly packs and then assembled, often within days, regardless of weather conditions.

[25] Reports published in November 2006 suggested that Education Secretary Alan Johnson was exploring ways to raise the school leaving age in England to 18, just over 40 years later than the last rise in 1972, pointing to the decline in unskilled jobs and the need for young people to be equipped for modern day employment.

[11] A year later, on 6 November 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown unveiled the government's plans in the Queen's Speech.

This did not specifically state that young people would remain in secondary school, but rather by law be required to continue their education full or part-time, whether that be in sixth form, college or work based training.

[38] Whilst the government was eager to implement the changes, many oppose the proposal,[citation needed] some on civil liberties grounds.

[39] Compulsory school attendance is usually justified by reference to the argument that minors are incapable of making sufficiently reasoned choices.

However, the 16–18 age group falls into a grey area, being regarded as effectively adult in a number of contexts but having extra restrictions and protections placed on their lives in other situations.

[40] The proposal of using criminal sanctions to enforce attendance under this new system was opposed by MPs from both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, who believed compulsion and threats were the wrong approach to increasing participation.

"[41] However, the Prime Minister's Queen's Speech in November 2007, which discussed the raise in school leaving age, suggested that pupils who failed to comply with new laws would be expected to face fines or community service, rather than custodial sentencing which had previously been proposed.

[38] A skills commission report released in 2013, backed by Labour MP Barry Sheerman, suggested that young people were being let down by the education system, with particular criticism aimed towards the lack of information, advice and guidance available to 14-19 year olds.

[47] The 2008 Education and Skills Act gave the Assembly the powers to make similar reforms as those planned in England.

[29] According to statistics republished in a BBC article in 2020, about 10% of young people in Wales aged 16 to 18 were not in education, employment or training.