Raising of school leaving age in England and Wales
Encyclopedia
| Raising of the school leaving age in England and Wales | |
| First Occurrence: | 1870 Elementary Education Act 1870 The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales... |
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| Latest Occurrence: | 2013 (preparation) |
| Related Acts (to date): |
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| See Raising of school leaving age Raising of school leaving age The raising of school leaving age is an act brought into force when the legal age a child is allowed to leave compulsory education increases... for worldwide overview |
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The Raising of school leaving age
Raising of school leaving age
The raising of school leaving age is an act brought into force when the legal age a child is allowed to leave compulsory education increases...
(often shortened to ROSLA) is the name given by Government to refer to changes regarding the legal age a child is permitted to leave compulsory education
Compulsory education
Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all persons.-Antiquity to Medieval Era:Although Plato's The Republic is credited with having popularized the concept of compulsory education in Western intellectual thought, every parent in Judea since Moses's Covenant with...
, usually falling under an Education Act
Education Act
Education Act is a stock short title used for legislation in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States that relates to education.-United Kingdom and predecessor states:*The Education Act 1833...
. In most countries, the school leaving age
School leaving age
The school leaving age states the minimum age person is legally allowed to leave compulsory education...
often reflects when young people are seen to be mature enough within their society, but not necessarily when they are old enough to be regarded as an Adult.
In England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, this age has been raised numerous times since the introduction of compulsory education in 1870. The most recent Raising of School Leaving Age occurrence was on 1 September 1972, following preparations which began 8 years prior in 1964.
This increased the legal leaving age from 15 to 16, leaving a gap year of school leavers who, by law, had to complete an additional year of education from 1973 onwards.
There are several reasons why the Government may wish to increase the school leaving age, considering it has raised the age numerous times over the 19th and 20th century, with plans to do so again in 2013. With past age raisings, the reasons given have been focused mainly on generating more skilled labour by providing additional time for students to gain additional skills and qualifications. In recent years, it has become apparent that most 16-18 year olds aren't as motivated to continue their education after completion of their GCSEs, thus increasing the overall unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
rate, as many are unable to find work. The British Government is hopeful that by making education compulsory up to the age of 18 by 2013, they can change this attitude.
19th century
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, for the church, stressing religious education
Religious education
In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion and its varied aspects —its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles...
. In the latter part of the 19th Century, compulsory attendance at school ceased to be a matter for local option, with the introduction of the Elementary Education Act 1870
Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
a milestone in the British school education system. Children had to attend between the ages of 5 and 10 though with some local discretion such as early leaving in agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
areas.
The introduction of the Elementary Education Act 1870
Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
(applying to England and Wales), commonly known as Forster's Education Act having been drawn up by William Edward Forster
William Edward Forster
William Edward Forster PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.-Early life:...
, created the concept of compulsory education for children under thirteen, although didn't insist on compulsory attendance initially, as it only required the provision for education of children up to 10 years of age. In areas where education was considered a problem, elected school boards
School board (England & Wales)
School boards were public bodies in England and Wales between 1870 and 1902, which established and administered elementary schools.School boards were created in boroughs and parishes under the Elementary Education Act 1870 following campaigning by George Dixon, Joseph Chamberlain and the National...
could be set up. These boards could, at their discretion, create local by-laws, confirmed by Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, to require attendance and fine the parents of children who did not attend. 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.
The Elementary Education Act 1880
Elementary Education Act 1880
The Elementary Education Act 1880 was a British Act of Parliament which extended the Elementary Education Act 1870. The act extended the compulsory age of attendance at school until the age of 10....
insisted on compulsory attendance from 5–10 years. For poorer families, ensuring their children attended school proved difficult, as it was more tempting to send them working if the opportunity to earn an extra income was available. Attendance Officers often visited the homes of children who failed to attend school, which often proved to be ineffective. Children under the age of 13 who were employed were required to have a certificate to show they had reached the educational standard. Employers of these children who weren't able to show this were penalised. An act brought into force thirteen years later went under the name of the Elementary Education (School Attendance) Act 1893, which stated a raised minimum leaving age to 11. Later the same year, the act was also extended for blind and deaf children, who previously had no means of an official education. This act was later amended in 1899 to raise the school leaving age up to 12 years of age.
20th century
The start of the 20th century saw School Boards abolished in 1902 and replaced with Local Education AuthoritiesLocal Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
, which are still in use to the present day.
The Fisher Act of 1918
The year 1918 saw the introduction of the Education Act 1918Education Act 1918
Education Act 1918 , often known as the Fisher Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was drawn up by Herbert Fisher. Note that the "Education Act 1918" applied to England and Wales, whereas a separate "Education Act 1918" applied for Scotland.This raised the school leaving age...
, commonly also known as the Fisher Act as it was devised by Herbert Fisher
Herbert Fisher
Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher OM, FRS, PC was an English historian, educator, and Liberal politician. He served as President of the Board of Education in David Lloyd George's 1916 to 1922 coalition government....
. The act enforced compulsory education from 5–14 years, but also included provision for compulsory part-time education for all 14 to 18-year-olds. There were also plans for expansion in tertiary education
Tertiary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
, by raising the participation age to 18. This was dropped because of the cuts in public spending after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. This is the first act which starting planning provisions for young people to remain in education until the age of 18. The 1918 act was not implemented until a further act of 1921 was passed.
Butler's post-war education changes
In 1944, Rab ButlerRab Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG CH DL PC , who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician...
introduced the Education Act 1944
Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
which amongst other changes, including the introduction of the Tripartite System
Tripartite System
The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state funded secondary education between 1944 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland....
, included raising the school leaving age to 15. Although the act should have been brought into effect as from September 1939, it was not implemented because of the effects of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but was eventually enforced from April 1947. The Comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
system has since replaced the Tripartite System
Tripartite System
The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state funded secondary education between 1944 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland....
brought in by this act across most of England. This act also recommended compulsory part-time education for all children until the age of 18, but was dropped, in similar fashion to the 1918 Act, to cut spending after World War II.
Reasons
Changes in Government approaches towards education meant that it was no longer regarded adequate for a child to leave education aged 14, as that is the age when they were seen to really understand and appreciate the value of education, as well as being the period when adolescenceAdolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
was at its height. It was beginning to be seen as the worst age for a sudden switch from education to employment. Although there were concerns about the effects of having less labour from these children, it was hoped that the outcome of a larger quantity of more qualified, skilled workers would eliminate the deficit problem from the loss of unskilled labour.
Effects
This act introduced the concept of the famous 11+ examination, which determined whether a child would be entitled to schooling in a grammar school, secondary modern or technical college, under the Tripartite SystemTripartite System
The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state funded secondary education between 1944 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland....
. The examination was devised by Rab Butler
Rab Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG CH DL PC , who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician...
, but has since been phased out across the majority of the United Kingdom, with just several boroughs in England and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
still using it. League tables published in March 2007, however, show that existing grammar schools throughout the country are outperforming comprehensive schools.
Changes in society and approaches towards education, including equal opportunities
Equal opportunity
Equal opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
, has meant that all children now deserve to have the same education and not singling out those who learn at a slower rate than others, thus every child has the opportunity to gain secondary school level qualifications or similar, regardless of background or intelligence.
Leaving age raised to 16
In 1964, preparations began to raise the school leaving age to 16. These were delayed in 1968, and eventually the decision was taken in 1971 that the new upper age limit be enforced from 1 September 1972 onwards. As well as raising the school leaving age in 1972, the year also saw the introduction of the Education (Work Experience) Act, allowing LEAs to organise work experienceWork experience
Work experience is the experience that a person has been working, or worked in a specific field or occupation.- Volunteer work and internships :...
for the additional final year school students. In some counties around the country, these changes also led to the introduction of Middle school
Middle Schools in England
Middle schools in England are defined in English and Welsh law as being schools in which the age range of pupils taught includes pupils who are aged below 10 years and six months, as well as those who are aged over 12. Such schools were not permitted in the state system under the legislation...
s in 1968, where students were kept at primary or junior school for an additional year, meaning that the number of students in secondary schools within these areas remained virtually constant through the change. In others, more radical changes led to middle schools for pupils aged up to 13 opening in smaller secondary school buildings, with other schools accommodating students over 13. As of 2010, there are fewer than 300 Middle Schools across England, situated in just 22 Local Education Authorities; the number of remaining middle schools has gradually fallen since the mid 1980s.
ROSLA Buildings
For many secondary schools around England and Wales in areas without a Middle School, accommodating for the new 5th year students would be a struggle. A popular solution was to provide those schools with a pre-fabricated building (often referred to as ROSLA Buildings or ROSLA Blocks) that were in need of additional capacity, providing them with the resources to cope with the new generationGeneration
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
of 5th year students. This solution proved popular with many schools across the country, not least due to the low cost involved for materials and construction, but also the speed which these buildings could be erected.
The ROSLA Buildings were delivered to schools in self assembly packs, being assembled by a team often in a matter of days, regardless of weather conditions. Consequentially, they were not intended to stand long-term, though some have proven to have stood much longer than was initially planned. Many ROSLA Buildings shared similar exterior attributes such as their design, with the only difference being the separation of rooms within the building. The room separation within the building was decided upon by senior school management, hence many walls are false from being added in after construction.
Although the majority of schools around England and Wales have since replaced the ROSLA Building at their site, there are still numerous schools around the country which are still actively using these buildings. Some schools which still have a standing ROSLA Building that isn't in use serve for youth centres for the community or are simply derelict
Abandonment
The term abandonment has a multitude of uses, legal and extra-legal. This "signpost article" provides a guide to the various legal and quasi-legal uses of the word and includes links to articles that deal with each of the distinct concepts at greater length...
. The majority have since been demolished or extensively refurbished.
Education Act 1996
Between 1976 and 1997, the minimum school leaving arrangements were:- A child whose sixteenth birthday falls in the period 1 September to 31 January inclusive, may leave compulsory schooling at the end of the Spring term (the following EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
). - A child whose sixteenth birthday falls in the period 1 February to 31 August, may leave on the Friday before the last Monday in May.
Under section 8(4) of the Education Act 1996, a new single school leaving date was set for 1998 and all subsequent years thereafter. This was set as the last Friday in June in the school year which the child reaches the age of 16.
Proposed increase of leaving age to 18
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
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.
A year later on 6 November 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
set out his Queen's Speech plans for the year ahead, unveiling the Government's plans for the increase in school leaving age. It included the duty for parents to assist their children in education or training participation until the date of their 18th birthday, as well as detailing proposed moves to reform the apprenticeship system and to improve achievement for children in care. The Act, to officially come in to force in the 2013 academic year, will initially insist on participation until the school year in which the child turns 17, followed by the age being raised to the young person's 18th birthday by 2015. The Act would extend similar powers to the National Assembly for Wales. A spokesperson for the Welsh Assembly indicated that it would want to encourage more young people to stay in education, but without compulsion.
Reasons
Figures were published in June 2006 showing that 76.2% of all young people aged 16–18 are already in further education or training, meaning that the rise might only affect around 25% of young people who may have otherwise sought employment immediately upon finishing compulsory education. 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 formSixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
or work based training.
Around 80% of 16-year-olds stay in full-time academic or vocational education, or go on a government-financed training course. In a survey of 859 people, 9/10 supported the plans for the age increase.
NEET
NEET is a government acronym for people currently "not in education, employment, or training". It was first used in the United Kingdom but its use has spread to other countries, including Japan, China, and South Korea...
(Not in Education, Employment or Training). An additional 7% of 16 year olds fall into this category and the proportion rises to 13% among 18 year olds. Although the figure of young people classified as NEET has remained constant between 8-10% from 1993–2004, DfES estimates show rises to 11% in 2005, a representation of 220,000 young people. In practice, only 1% of young people are classified as NEET during their time aged 16–18, due to churn
Churn rate
Churn rate , in its broadest sense, is a measure of the number of individuals or items moving into or out of a collective over a specific period of time...
between training, employment and NEET classification.
Plans to increase the school leaving age were confirmed in January 2007 by the Department for Education and Skills, with the change to be implemented by 2013. The Government believes that the changes are needed because of the collapse in unskilled jobs in the economy, which means that young school leavers at 16 years of age are finding it increasingly more difficult to find employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
, consequentially in many cases making them unemployable. Within the last 40 years, the number of unskilled jobs available have more than halved, from 8 million in the 1960s to 3.5 in the present day, with predictions of further drops to just 600,000 by 2020 due to the increasing demand for skilled labour. This, together with fewer students continuing their further education, increase the difficulty for young school leavers to find work if they were either not able, or chose not to, stay on at school and complete further education.
Opposition
Whilst the Government is eager to implement the changes, many oppose the proposal, some on civil liberties grounds. Compulsory school attendance is usually justified by reference to the argument that minorsMinor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
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. Indeed, in some jurisdictions (e.g. Scotland
Scots law
Scots law is the legal system of Scotland. It is considered a hybrid or mixed legal system as it traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. With English law and Northern Irish law it forms the legal system of the United Kingdom; it shares with the two other systems some...
), individuals are considered to reach full majority at 16.
The proposal of using criminal sanctions
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
to enforce attendance under this new system was opposed by MPs from both the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, who believed compulsion and threats were the wrong approach to increasing participation. A spokesperson for the DfES said the proposals were not about "forcing young people to do something they don't want to", and that "we are letting young people down if we allow them to leave education and training without skills at the age of 16." 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 are to be expected to face fines or community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
, rather than custodial sentencing
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
which had previously been proposed. Local Authorities will also be expected to ensure pupils are participating up to 18 years of age.
Effects
The downward trend in the number of unskilled jobs available throughout the country is continuing. The Government believes that the extension of compulsory education until the age of 18 will mean many more young people will leave education in a much better position to find skilled employmentSkilled worker
A skilled worker is any worker who has some special skill, knowledge, or ability in their work. A skilled worker may have attended a college, university or technical school. Or, a skilled worker may have learned their skills on the job...
. Speaking in March 2007, Chancellor
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
stated that around 50,000 teenagers would be paid a training allowance
Education Maintenance Allowance
Education Maintenance Allowance is a financial scheme applicable to students and those undertaking unpaid work-based learning in the Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland aged between sixteen and nineteen whose parents have a certain level of taxable income...
to sign up to college-based courses, with estimates on the available number of apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
s available to double to around 500,000 by 2020, with 80% being available in England, which will be an increase from the current 250,000 apprenticeships available, offered by 130,000 employers.
Speaking in June 2007, Barry Sheerman
Barry Sheerman
Barry John Sheerman is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Huddersfield since the 1979 general election.-Early life:...
, Labour MP and chairman of the Commons education and skills select committee, says that "young people not in education are one of the biggest social problems facing a modern government". The Government is hopeful that the changes will also have an effect on preventing the increase in crime levels
Crime prevention
Crime prevention is the attempt to reduce victimization and to deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice.-Studies:...
, as currently a substantial percentage of young people leaving school are turning to a life of crime, most unable to find suitable work due to lack of skills and qualifications.
See also
- School leaving ageSchool leaving ageThe school leaving age states the minimum age person is legally allowed to leave compulsory education...
- Education in EnglandEducation in EnglandEducation in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
- Compulsory educationCompulsory educationCompulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all persons.-Antiquity to Medieval Era:Although Plato's The Republic is credited with having popularized the concept of compulsory education in Western intellectual thought, every parent in Judea since Moses's Covenant with...
- Tripartite SystemTripartite SystemThe Tripartite System was the arrangement of state funded secondary education between 1944 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland....
Further reading
- http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/mortarboard/2007/01/incarceration_or_good_economic.html
- http://www.thepotteries.org/dates/education.htm
External links
- http://www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolattendance/faq/#faq18
- Raising the Participation Age to 18