School leaving age

Totally. So this topic came into my head because today, May 15th 2007, was my last official day in high school. And I'm 15. Besides returning to sit exams, I have no more formal education until I start college. Although I woudn't have to start college, because my time of compulsory education is over.

In Britain they want to change the school leaving age to 18; you can read about it here. Our official age is 16, of course, but the school year doesn't end until August.

This is something that affects the majority of us, since we are either in compulsory education or left it not so long ago. What are your views on the school leaving age in your country? Should it be lowered and raised and why?

I think 18 is a good idea, because it isn't just about staying in school, it means you can start on-the-job training or apprenticeships and all that. Some people don't have the sticking power or the will to stay on after 16, and I think pushing them to do so would be better. Of course, there will still be drop-outs, but that is inevitable.

Wait, you're 15 and you're gonna go to college?
Nice...!

Here you must go to school until you're 16.
If they leave, they still can go back whenever they want anyway.
Some leave school to do apprenticeship: they know what they really wanna do and just need aprenticeship so it's good for them.
And some don't care and go to school because they just have to. You can try to push them, it's not worth it.

So I don't know, I think 16 is ok
Higher or lower, I don't think it wouldn't resolve any problem.

Here, you can recieve free public education up until the age of 21. At the age of 16 you can drop out of school without your parents consent. However, with it you can drop out before that. Or, you can just stop showing up to school. I thought there would be some kind of legal punishment for parents who don't make their kids attend school or sign their drop out forms, but evidently there isn't, because kids do it all the time and no one does anything about it. And as for apprenticeships; thats a part of school here. In fact some scholarships require you to job shadow during highschool.

Highschool here is different than British school. I know me and Meg have talked about it on MSN before but it still confuses me. Here, highschool goes to the 12th grade; age 18. In order to attend college (which is the equivilent of your universities I think) you have to complete highschool. I don't think kids should be forced to attend school past the age of 15. If they don't want to be there, they won't put forth effort and it will only hinder the kids who do want to learn and have a bright future. However, I think the age of 18 is a good age. At that point, you've experienced all kinds of learning and had plenty of time to explore what you might like to do after highschool so you can make a good choice about the career you pursue.

Kurtni:

Here, you can recieve free public education up until the age of 21. At the age of 16 you can drop out of school without your parents consent. However, with it you can drop out before that. Or, you can just stop showing up to school. I thought there would be some kind of legal punishment for parents who don't make their kids attend school or sign their drop out forms, but evidently there isn't, because kids do it all the time and no one does anything about it. And as for apprenticeships; thats a part of school here. In fact some scholarships require you to job shadow during highschool.

There is. People do.
First of all, when I stopped going to school in grade five we got all these notices and social workers came around and a special kind of officer [i can't remember the name, sorry].
Also, if you miss too many days of school you can get kicked out, and it shows up on your permanent file and the parents are spoken too.

At least, that's just what I know happens here.

Misanthropist:

There is. People do.
First of all, when I stopped going to school in grade five we got all these notices and social workers came around and a special kind of officer [i can't remember the name, sorry].
Also, if you miss too many days of school you can get kicked out, and it shows up on your permanent file and the parents are spoken too.

At least, that's just what I know happens here.

Well, I know for younger grades there is, I was talking more about highschool. Because these kids are like 14-15, they just quit going to school, their parents might be notified by the school, but they are in no way forced to attend school.

If you miss school three days or more in a row here, without an excuse for the school (doctors note, etc etc), the police department will send your parents a warning for arrest. My mom got one before. So you can't just not go. Here, you have to until the age of 17.

And if you miss 15 days of school throughout the year, you must make them up in summer school or you will be held back.

Cecilia:

Wait, you're 15 and you're gonna go to college?
Nice...!

No, the official age is 16, but the school year doesn't end until August. So if you have your birthday in June/July/August, you 'leave school' at 15. Since the next school year doesn't begin until September, all those who are 16 before the 31st of August 2007 start college on the 1st September 2007.

Sorry if I explained it bad, I posted this late at night

So wait, what year are (or were) you actually in? Did you have the option to continue on at school, or was this your last year?

In NSW (all states are different here), you have to go to school until year 10, when most are 16. You have to complete your school certificate. Well, legally, but I know people who haven't even completed that.

Then, you have the option of leaving, or going onto year 12, and completing your higher school certificate. Most people go on to year 12, because now days, you usually can't get into uni or tafe without your hsc, so you obviously can't get a very good job.

If you don't go on, you don't actually have to do anything, there's nothing legally saying you have to work or learn, unlike QLD, where they have this thing called "learn or earn until seventeen" or something like that. But you have the option of doing a traineeship, or an aprenticeship, and there are some tafe courses you can get into.

I went to a few weeks of year eleven, then begged my parents to let me leave. I hated it =D I'm going to go to tafe.

I don't get this college thing. It it university? Or.. not?

Plug In Baby.:

So wait, what year are (or were) you actually in? Did you have the option to continue on at school, or was this your last year?

I clearly need to explain our school system better. It must be complicated or something. idk. xDD

Year 11. Its my last year of high school, so now we have to leave. We have the option to continue learning at college, but it is entirely optional. You can either go to college, start an apprenticeship, work in a fast food restaurant or just sit on your ass. The whole leaving age being made up to 18 here means you have to either keep learning or start an apprenticeship in something like engineering or carpentry, a job that will actually lead to something (as opposed to working in KFC).

College here is usually from 16-18, and then university is 18 and onwards really. High school is from 11-16 (but because of what I mentioned about the school year, people with birthdays in summer actually leave at 15), and once you've finished high school you don't have to do anything else with your life, you have the right to sit on your ass at home. Of course, the more desirable thing would be to continue learning or getting skills, but yeah.

I left school at 15, my birthday being right at the end of August, and my last proper 'full-time' education ended when I was 16. I officially left college at 17, earlier this year. I um attempted it twice, and but it never really worked for me. I went 6 weeks in 2005 and was fine; nervous, because I was starting a new college and stuff, but I absolutely loved it. Then one morning I woke up and just couldn't go. I cried all the way there, and thought I was going to faint when I had to go to class. I called my mum and begged her to say it was okay for me to go home - there was nothing actually 'wrong' with me, I wasn't ill or anything, not at that point anyway, so there was no reason for my panic, so I went home and tried again the next day.
And after that it just never got better. Every day was the same, and in February 2006 I just stopped going at all. I was terrified at that point that my mum would be fined or something for not making me go - a woman had just been put in prison for not making her teenage daughters go to school, and as a born worrier I was scared this would happen to my mum too. Or that college would kick me out, as there was no legal obligation for me to be there; I was choosing. But my college were amazing, and let me restart in September. I tried to go every day, to 'expose' myself to whatever it was that I was so terrified of, but it never worked and it just felt the same struggle every day. I went into hospital in November 2006, and decided to give up the fight against my 'demons' in February. It was the biggest disappointment, but the biggest relief ever. It was like being unchained after 16 months of this thing eating away at me. I know it sounds ridiculous, but my whole person felt lighter and my whole outlook on life suddenly seemed to appear; I was free. I never saw myself getting past college, so anything else seemed impossible. Now I do voluntary work and I'm still fighting my depression, but it's an easier fight than my college one. It sounds dark but if I'd had to stay in school until I was 18 and it went how it did, I doubt I'd have the will to breathe any more. It would be awful.
Obviously what happened to me is rare, and I'm perhaps biased, but I think leaving school at 16 should be an option. Even if the reason you want to leave is simply because you can't stand school, and a lot of the people in my year group did that and now work happily, then it should be there for you. I think to wait until you're 18 is a long time if you have some reason that means school just isn't for you - it's two years, but it can feel very, very long.

Here you have to go to school til the age of 15. That's when the 8 years of elementary school end and you can choose if you want to continue your education in high school or just get a job. Most of people continue education because it's hard enough to find a proper job even when you finish college. Anyways,they're planning to change the leaving age to 18 now. That way everyone will have to go to high school and then decide if they want to go to college or not.

Well. Here, most people start school at the age of 6. The first year is sort of a practise-year where we're taught how to sit still and expect homework to be done and stuff. I started at age 5, but only because I was born late in the year. Including the first practise-year, we have to go to this school for ten years. This is the fundamental school which you have to attend. So I'll leave when I'm 15, which is in a year and a month, to be excact. Since most people start the school when they're 6, they end school when they're 16. (Tenth year.)
After this fundamental school-thing as I chose to call it, there are a bunch of options. You can go to a center which would count as 11th year but is mostly for people who need it because they don't know what they want to do or they feel they need to get their grades up before they go on to the other schools.

In Croatia you have to go to school until your 16. If you complete your classes in time you are at your 2nd year of High-school. But if you fail classes in Primary school, you will be in 8th grade there. So you just have to finish Primary school. Of course, everyone here goes to High-school because without it you cant get a proper employment. Now they want to a law that by which you must go to High-school and finish it. I love schooling, but to be honest, I dislike that law. If you want to get schooled than ok, you have every right to do so, but if you don't want to you shouldn't have to be forced. No one is going to stop their education before 18 anyway because, as I mentioned, you need it for your future job. No one should be forced to do anything because if you wish to live school you have a reason for it. That reason may be just laziness, but that just shows that you wont try in High-school either and you should live it to kids who will. In Croatia you don't go to the nearest High-school, you have to get accepted. If you have better grades you will probably go to a Gymnasium (as it is called here) and from there you can apply for any University. And if you have lower-grades you will go to beauty schools or for a cook, waiter, goldsmith, carpenter etc. You have Economy schools and a lot of other different schools. I actually dislike that in our system because A) grades aren't everything & B) we have to "choose our future" when 14 and thats really hard. I am happy that I have good grades and will attend a Language Gymnasium (there are 4 types, Basic, Language, Classic and Science Gymnasium) and I still have time to pick what I want to do later.

Oh and British educational system rules. I like colleges and stuff

In Belgium you have to go to school untill you're 18. o_o You have to finish primary(starts when you're 7/8 and ends when you're 12, before going to primary school you have to go to another school for 3 years) and high school(starts when your 12 and ends when you're 1 before you can leave school. But I mean come on; you have to be really dumb to quit studying if you're only 16. :/ I think that you wouldn't find a job here at the age of 16. (Except if you've studied at a profession school then you can start working at 16.)
I think I'll be studying till I'm (at least) 20/21 year.

I think 18 is a good idea, because it isn't just about staying in school, it means you can start on-the-job training or apprenticeships and all that. Some people don't have the sticking power or the will to stay on after 16, and I think pushing them to do so would be better. Of course, there will still be drop-outs, but that is inevitable.

Exactly my thoughts.

(I hope that made sense, my English isn't that great )

the problem with forcing education upto 18 is the scrotes you had to sit in g.c.s.e classes with, and didnt want to be there, will be forced to sit in your A level classes aswell, where at the moment all the people WANT to be there and are WILLING to learn. forcing kids to stay until their 18 will mean theyll just continue disrupting classes. Its not a good idea.

i heard somewhere that a high school diploma is only the equivelent to 5 g.c.s.e 's. and there college is like the equivelant of our A levels.

Dom:

i heard somewhere that a high school diploma is only the equivelent to 5 g.c.s.e 's. and there college is like the equivelant of our A levels.

I dunno about the diploma part, but our college is pretty much interchangeable with your university. People after graduating highschool could attend british universities if they wanted to.

Kurtni:

Dom:

i heard somewhere that a high school diploma is only the equivelent to 5 g.c.s.e 's. and there college is like the equivelant of our A levels.

I dunno about the diploma part, but our college is pretty much interchangeable with your university. People after graduating highschool could attend british universities if they wanted to.

My plan tbh

Dom:

the problem with forcing education upto 18 is the scrotes you had to sit in g.c.s.e classes with, and didnt want to be there, will be forced to sit in your A level classes aswell, where at the moment all the people WANT to be there and are WILLING to learn. forcing kids to stay until their 18 will mean theyll just continue disrupting classes. Its not a good idea.

You don't have to stay in academic classes. You can do work related training or start an apprenticeship or NVQ.