I can't believe...

[Kim]

Yeah I don't think the less able kids should be forced to do GCSE's. If they don't get 5C's then it doesn't help them cos everyone says they need a C in this and a C in that, and they then have to take really low courses in college to get onto ones that they really want to do.

Forcing them to do A Levels definitely won't work. You need 40% to pass one and the work is obviously harder at GCSE so they're hardly going to pass if they don't pass GCSE because you don't even need 40% to pass a GCSE. You probably do in higher so if it's not thought that they could pass that then they won't pass an A Level.

[Abbie]

Abbie - the kids can go to college when they've done there GCSE's if they like, they just have to stay in some form of education until they are 17. Some/all might not even do GCSE's; there's a new type of diploma going in.

Okay... makes more sense, but I still dont really get it

[Chloe O'brien]

I think it should be mandatory that all kids across the whole of the UK should stay in full-time education until they are 18. I work at a further education college and it horrifies me the amount of young people just out of school and don't even have basic reading and writing skills. How can a young person in today's society leave education after 11 years and not be able to read or write. It they raised the age for leaving school to 18 it would give the less academic students an extra chance of learning basic skills.

[di marco]

I think it should be mandatory that all kids across the whole of the UK should stay in full-time education until they are 18. I work at a further education college and it horrifies me the amount of young people just out of school and don't even have basic reading and writing skills. How can a young person in today's society leave education after 11 years and not be able to read or write. It they raised the age for leaving school to 18 it would give the less academic students an extra chance of learning basic skills.

i agree with you that so many kids now dont know how to read and write properly. my mum works at a junior school and one of the kids shes working with this year is in yr6 (so 10/11yrs old) and i couldnt even manage to copy off of the board when she met him yesterday! although, keeping kids in education til theyre 18 isnt going to help them unless they are properly taught the basics. i think the reason so many kids cant read and write properly is cos lessons move on so fast, teachers have to teach all this more difficult stuff to the kids, even if they cant read or count up to 10 cos thats what the government say they have to do. it doesnt help the kids cos if they cant read how are they meant to do a comprehension passage, or if they cant count how are they meant to work out the area of a shape?

[Perdita]

Another factor for poor educational skills could be the amount of foreign born pupils, they might just not understand properly and be too shy to ask for help. One thing that could be a downer on school leaving age being raised to 18 is that some families find it financially difficult, they might need another wage packet to pay their bills and can't afford another year or two paying for uniforms and school books etc.

[di marco]

One thing that could be a downer on school leaving age being raised to 18 is that some families find it financially difficult, they might need another wage packet to pay their bills and can't afford another year or two paying for uniforms and school books etc.

but im guessing students would still be given ema for the last 2yrs of school? or would that be scrapped if schooling was compulsory?

[Xx-Vicky-xX]

One thing that could be a downer on school leaving age being raised to 18 is that some families find it financially difficult, they might need another wage packet to pay their bills and can't afford another year or two paying for uniforms and school books etc.

but im guessing students would still be given ema for the last 2yrs of school? or would that be scrapped if schooling was compulsory?

It would probably be scrapped i would imagine...but even then not everyone is entitled to it

[Perdita]

Is EMA enough though? Don't get it over here, no idea how much it is.

[Xx-Vicky-xX]

Is EMA enough though? Don't get it over here, no idea how much it is.

£30 a week is the max, but it is based on how much parents earn...least i believe you get is £10 a week

[di marco]

One thing that could be a downer on school leaving age being raised to 18 is that some families find it financially difficult, they might need another wage packet to pay their bills and can't afford another year or two paying for uniforms and school books etc.

but im guessing students would still be given ema for the last 2yrs of school? or would that be scrapped if schooling was compulsory?

It would probably be scrapped i would imagine...but even then not everyone is entitled to it

i know not everyones entitled to it but you also still get family allowance if youre in education. which i know isnt as much as if you were working full time but its not like the kids are gonna be forced to spend an extra 2yrs at school yet have all money coming in for them stopped i wouldnt have thought