Raising of school leaving age in England and Wales

The Raising of school leaving age (often shortened to ROSLA) is the name given by Government to refer to changes regarding the legal age a child is permitted to leave compulsory education, usually falling under an Education Act. In most countries, the school leaving age often reflects when young people are seen to be mature enough within their society, but not necessarily when they are old enough to be regarded as an Adult.

In England and Wales, this age has been raised numerous times since the introduction of compulsory education in 1870. The most recent Raising of School Leaving Age occurrence was on 1 September 1972, following preparations which began 8 years prior in 1964.This increased the legal leaving age from 15 to 16, leaving a gap year of school leavers who, by law, had to complete an additional year of education from 1973 onwards.

There are several reasons why the Government may wish to increase the school leaving age, considering it has raised the age numerous times over the 19th and 20th century, with plans to do so again in 2013. With past age raisings, the reasons given have been focused mainly on generating more skilled labour by providing additional time for students to gain additional skills and qualifications. In recent years, it has become apparent that most 16-18 year olds aren't as motivated to continue their education after completion of their GCSEs, thus increasing the overall unemployment rate, as many...
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