(17) Abandon plans to extend the compulsory school leaving age to 18

This suggestion comes from the TaxPayers' Alliance/ Institute of Directors report on saving £50 billion.  For a PDF of the full report (including footnotes for claims made below) click here.

"According to the Government’s own estimates, spending to raise the school leaving age begins with £226 million of one-off expenditure on training additional teachers and providing additional FE facilities.  We assume this is spread evenly over the years 2010-11 to 2014-15, implying an expenditure of £45 million per annum.  That is our estimate of near-term annual savings, although from 2013 onwards the savings increase from not having the additional pupils in school.  By 2016-17 they are running at £742 million per annum. 
 
Rationale: Many of the young people who do not stay on in school or training aged 16 and 17 will have already dropped out of education before they reach 16.  Indeed, “unauthorised absence” (truancy, in plain English) has increased steadily over the past decade, from 0.76 per cent of half days in 1996-97 to 1.01 per cent of half days in 2007-08 – this represents an increase in unauthorised absence of 39 per cent in 11 years.   In England alone, there are almost 1.2 million children overall, and over 650,000 in secondary schools, who miss at least 10 per cent of school days (whether through authorised or unauthorised absence).  

Low post-16 participation is a symptom of a deeper problem: the failure to ensure that young people master the basic skills early in their educational careers.  Almost 30 per cent of 11 year olds fail to achieve the expected standard for their age (Level 4) in both English and maths,  while, five years later, less than half achieve five or more A*-C grade GCSEs including English and maths.   The vast majority of those children who leave primary school lacking the necessary literacy and numeracy skills to make a success of the secondary curriculum will fail to get five or more good GCSEs at 16.  Those who fail to get five or more good GCSEs are in turn much less likely to continue in education and training in the post-compulsory years.   It would surely be better to focus on improving the quality of schooling, so that young people have the basic skills and the desire to carry on in school after 16. 

Compulsory education or training for 16 and 17 year olds, with the ultimate threat of criminalisation, will not make people work harder and indeed is likely to add to disaffection.  As the chairman of the Professional Association of Teachers, Geraldine Everett, has said: “To make them [16 and 17 year olds] conscripts is likely to reinforce failure, leading to even greater disaffection.  Enforcement could lead to mass truancy, further disruption to other learners and staff, maybe even needless criminalisation if enforcement measures are imposed.”  The other question that needs to be addressed is the 10 per cent of 16-18 year olds who are not in education or training but are actually in employment.   What possible benefit could be gained by potentially criminalising this section of society?

Raising the compulsory school leaving age to 18 is an ill-thought out proposal, will not work, and is likely to have damaging effects on the people it is trying to help.  It should not go ahead."

Savings id: Abandon plans to extend the compulsory school leaving age to 18. 
Department: DCSF
Annual saving: £45 million from 2010-11 onwards.

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Previous idea for saving: (16) Abolish Sure Start.