When can my child currently leave school?
By law all children of compulsory school age (currently the term following 5th birthday to 16 years), both those enrolled at school and those educated otherwise than at school, must remain in education until the last Friday in June in the school year in which they reach the age of 16. This date applies to all pupils irrespective of the date on which they reach their 16th birthday.
My child has received his/her National Insurance card, does this mean they can leave school and start work?
Your child cannot leave school until the date mentioned above. Even if they have received their National Insurance card before then, it is still against the law for them to leave school and begin full time-work.
Tax Credits
When your child reaches 16 you can only get Tax Credits for them if they are staying on at school or college, or starting an approved training course. You need to tell the Tax Credits Office your child's plans or your Tax Credits payments will stop on 31 August after your child's 16th birthday.
Remember, when your child leaves full-time education or training you must inform the Tax Credit Helpline within one month or you could get paid too much money and have to pay it back. If you do not tell Tax Credits about this change in your family circumstances you could also get charged a penalty of up to £300.00.
If your child is 16 or 17 and has left full-time education or training you may be able to get Tax Credits for up to 20 weeks starting from the date they left education or training if they are registered with:
You must let the Tax Credit Office know within 3 months of your child leaving education or training that they have registered with any of these organisations. If you do not you will not be able to get the extra money.
Call the Tax Credits Helpline on 0845 300 3900 (8:00am - 8:00pm).
Visit http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/ for further information.
Child Benefit
Child Benefit ceases at the end of the school year your child leaves full time education. The Child Benefit Office will contact you between January and June in the school year that your child turns 16. They will ask you whether your child will be continuing in education or training. You must inform the the Child Benefit Enquiry Line if:
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your child leaves education before the end of the school year and works 24 hours or more per week for payment;
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your child decides to stay in education after the date you previously told the Child Benefit Office they would leave.
Call the Child Benefit Helpline on 0845 302 1444
Visit http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefit/ for more information
However, things are changing and from 2013 the school leaving age will be raised
From 2013 children in England will be required to stay in education until they are 17. This is an interim step in government policy to have pupils continue in some form of education or training to the age of 18 which will take effect for school leavers from 2015.
The change will not mean that pupils will have to stay in the classroom but they will have to continue to receive training.
The changes have been introduced because the Government estimates that currently there are some 189,500 young people aged between 16 and 18 who are not in education, employment or training.
