 | |
| Long title | An Act to make provision about education and training; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2008 c 25 |
| Introduced by | Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Commons) Lord Adonis, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools and Learners (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | England |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 26 November 2008 |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Education and Skills Act 2008 (c 25) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that raised the minimum age at which a person in England can leave education or training from 16 to 18 for those born after 1 September 1997, with an interim minimum leaving age of 17 from 2013.[2][3][4] This was described as "raising the participation age".[4][5] The Act does not apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland and has not been extended to Wales, in those places the school-leaving age remains around 16 (depending on the person's birthday).
This part of the Act has been described as "exhum[ing] fundamental questions about the purposes of statutory state education".[5] There was some criticism, based on the theory that the government wanted to decrease unemployment figures by removing this group of young people from those looking for work.[6] It was certainly intended to bring down the NEET figures.[7]
The Act also introduced a number of other changes including the right of choice and appeal for young people regarding their sixth form college, and placing duties on the Learning and Skills Council regarding payment and finance of courses for both children and adults.[8]
- ^ The citation of this Act by this short title is authorised by section 174(1) of this Act.
- ^ Gillies, Malcolm (19 March 2009). "Student-consumers demand value for money and efficient service". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ "Schedule of changes". The Guardian. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ a b Hinds, Diana (15 December 2009). "The social imperative". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ a b Farnsworth, K.; Irving, Z.; Fenger, M. (2014). Social Policy Review 26: Analysis and Debate in Social Policy 2014. Social Policy Review Series. Policy Press. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-4473-1556-8. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ Hindmarch, D.; Hall, F.; Machin, L.; Murray, S. (2017). A Concise Guide to Education Studies. Critical Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-911106-83-8. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ Pickard, S. (2019). Politics, Protest and Young People: Political Participation and Dissent in 21st Century Britain. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-137-57788-7. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ "Department for Education". 15 December 2023.