School To 18?

[Snaipyr]

There's more to life than working in an office! Some people would prefer to work in agriculture, horticulture, construction, hairdressing, caring-type jobs, working with animals etc etc.

 

In the initial heady days of YTS in the UK school leavers could vitually choose to be trained in whatever career they wanted, with block courses at college (or day release) to gain relevant qualifications, as well as other courses in personal effectiveness, communication etc. The scheme proved too costly (though it cut unemployment figures), so gradually the funding and choices were cut, and responsibility for training young people passed mainly to employers. Too many people are stuck in jobs they dislike - no wonder the consumption of alcohol and drugs has increased!

 

And once upon a time, education was about learning, in the broad sense. Now everything's about money and the economy rather than personal fulfillment.

[Lonan3]

Resurrecting this thread because, even though the general opinion seemed to be against it, the proposal is now, apparently, becoming a reality.

TODAY'S TIMES

 

The school leaving age is to be raised for the first time in nearly half a century, The Times has learnt.

With full encouragement from Gordon Brown, Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, has set up a team to organise the lifting of the age at which children must be at school, in training or in an apprenticeship from 16 to 18 by 2013.

Ten-year-olds who enter secondary school next year will be the first to have to stay in mandatory education until they are 18. It will be the first rise in the school leaving age since 1972, when it was raised to 16.

The change, which will affect around 330,000 teenagers, will help to tackle rising youth unemployment, with unskilled school leavers finding it increasingly difficult to get a job.

Mr Brown, almost certainly the next prime minister, will put the increase in the leaving age at the centre of his 10-year plan for government, to be unveiled when he launches his bid to succeed Tony Blair, The Times has been informed.

[Brad_Naylor]

Resurrecting this thread because, even though the general opinion seemed to be against it, the proposal is now, apparently, becoming a reality.

TODAY'S TIMES

 

The school leaving age is to be raised for the first time in nearly half a century, The Times has learnt.

With full encouragement from Gordon Brown, Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, has set up a team to organise the lifting of the age at which children must be at school, in training or in an apprenticeship from 16 to 18 by 2013.

Ten-year-olds who enter secondary school next year will be the first to have to stay in mandatory education until they are 18. It will be the first rise in the school leaving age since 1972, when it was raised to 16.

The change, which will affect around 330,000 teenagers, will help to tackle rising youth unemployment, with unskilled school leavers finding it increasingly difficult to get a job.

Mr Brown, almost certainly the next prime minister, will put the increase in the leaving age at the centre of his 10-year plan for government, to be unveiled when he launches his bid to succeed Tony Blair, The Times has been informed.

 

Should be interesting, married couple with 2 kids still having to go to school, or does that get you off the hook?

[Cronky]

Supposing you decide to educate your children at home. Would you have to keep them indoors until eighteen? Also, how might this affect armed forces recruitment given that you can join up at seventeen?

 

It will take time for the true agenda for this policy to surface. I would assume the Isle of Man would not follow this policy. Imagine, you are allowed to vote but not allowed to work . . .

[Brad_Naylor]

Or go for a pint.

[manxlennie]

Supposing you decide to educate your children at home. Would you have to keep them indoors until eighteen?

 

The term educated at home is misconceiving. You, in fact, Educate Otherwise than at school.

 

Which means how you educate is your choice; the only children who must not be seen during the waking hours are ones who are registered at school.

 

Another thing school is not compulsory, education is.

 

TBH, technically you could de-reg your kid from school at 16 and provide an education through work experience and that is your childs right.

 

 

Definition of Suitable Education

 

An interpretation of some terminology used in the Education Act 1944 (replaced by the 1996 Act)(Isle of Man 2001Act) was provided by an appeal case which was brought at Worcester Crown Court in 1981 (Harrison & Harrison v Stevenson). In this case, the judge defined a ‘suitable education’ as one which was such as:

 

1. to prepare the children for life in modern civilised society, and

2. to enable them to achieve their full potential.

 

The diversity of modern society and styles of education give parents considerable freedom of choice in enabling children to achieve their potential. In the case of R v Secretary of State for Education and Science, ex parte Talmud Torah Machzikei Hadass School Trust (1985) (Times, 12 April 1985) Mr Justice Woolf held that:

 

education is ‘suitable’ if it primarily equips a child for life within the community of which he is a member, rather than the way of life in the country as a whole, as long as it does not foreclose the child’s options in later years to adopt some other form of life if he wishes to do so.

 

Examining the meaning of the expression full-time shows the hours spent on teaching in schools are not relevant to home education, which generally takes place on a one-to-one basis, or in small groups, in very different conditions.

 

Provided the child is not a registered pupil at a school, the parent is not required to provide any particular type of education, and is under no obligation to

 

1. have premises equipped to any particular standard

2. have any specific qualifications

3. cover the same syllabus as any school

4. adopt the National Curriculum

5. make detailed plans in advance

6. observe school hours, days or terms

7. have a fixed timetable

8. give formal lessons

9. reproduce school type peer group socialisation

10.match school, age-specific standards

11.seek permission to educate 'otherwise'

12.take the initiative in informing the local authority

13.have regular contact with the local authority

[keyboarder]

What about the pension 'crisis' too?

 

*Does not apply to IOM government employees. If an IOM government employee please relax and go back to sleep - sorry for waking you.

[Brad_Naylor]

I really cant believe this shite, I mean, I left school at 14 was in full time employment when I was 15 and bought a 350RD Yamaha on my sixteenth birthday, school until your 18, gimme a feckin break!

[Cronky]

As usual they really have not thought this through at all. I just checked the age for recruitment into the British Army and you can join at sixteen. In one fell swoop they have wiped out a pool of potential soldiers to fight the 'war on terror. Furthermore, another two years of PHSE and other politically correct crap is hardly goin to turn boys in to men is it? On the one hand the British Government want blokes who can fight the Taleban with fixed bayonets. On the other hand they dare not let them out of school until they are eighteen.

[Lonan3]

TODAY'S TIMES

 

There are some points clearly missed by those who haven't read the whole article, such as:

 

Under the plans, 16 and 17-year-olds would have three options, ranging from the entirely academic to work-based training. They could also stay on at school, studying either A levels, new-style diplomas or the International Baccalaureat. They could go to a further education college to study a full-time vocational course. Or they could enter employment but with a guaranteed minimum level of training, such as an apprenticeship.

Mr Johnson wants to launch guaranteed apprenticeships, so that any youngster who reaches a certain skill level will have the right to follow a suitable apprenticeship.

The Government believes that the changes are needed because of the collapse in unskilled jobs in the economy means that young school leavers are increasingly unemployable.

[Brad_Naylor]

So, if you don’t get a “proper job” you can’t leave school, because we have given all the unskilled jobs to polish immigrants.

[GD4ELI]

As usual they really have not thought this through at all. I just checked the age for recruitment into the British Army and you can join at sixteen. In one fell swoop they have wiped out a pool of potential soldiers to fight the 'war on terror. Furthermore, another two years of PHSE and other politically correct crap is hardly goin to turn boys in to men is it? On the one hand the British Government want blokes who can fight the Taleban with fixed bayonets. On the other hand they dare not let them out of school until they are eighteen.

You can't be sent into combat until you're 18.

[Cronky]

You can't be sent into combat until you're 18.

 

You can't be sent into combat until you are trained so therefore you have to join up quite a bit earlier depending on your specialisation.

[John Wright]

so you can still join up and do your post 16 training on the job in the forces Whats not thought through?

 

In fact it will make the forces even more attractive to those who want to be earning a living at 16.

 

As nearly 90% of 17 and 18 yera olds already undertake training or college or vocatiuonal courses or apprenticeships it isn't going to make much difference or cost a lot.

 

Sounds good though if you are starting to campaign to be next PM

[Cronky]

you can still join up and do your post 16 training on the job in the forces

 

A different form of manipulation then! If you are sick of school you can always go and be cannon fodder in the war against terror.