In general terms in England and Wales, compulsory school age starts at age five and ends at age 16, often called "school leaving age". From an employment law point of view the relevance is that a person ceases to be a child once he is over compulsory school age,

Precise rules govern the detail. In essence pupils must stay at school until the end of the summer term after they reach 16 (whether or not they are sitting any exams) unless their 16th birthday is during the summer holidays.

The effect of the rules is that:

• in England and Wales a person is no longer of compulsory school age after the last Friday of June of the school year in which their 16th birthday occurs.
  
• in Scotland pupils whose 16th birthday falls between 1st March and 30th September may not leave school before the 31st May of that year. Pupils whose 16th birthday falls between 1st October and the last day of February may not leave until the start of the Christmas holidays in that school year.
  
• in Northern Ireland a person is no longer of compulsory school age after the 30th June of the school year in which their 16th birthday occurs.

The legislative outcome is the Education and Skills Act 2008. This provides for all young people to stay in education or training until the age of 18, probably from 2015. It also gives more adults the legal right to free training and encourages them to become apprentices , with an aspiration of 250,000 people beginning training by 2020.

go to next updated reference in this note.

See also notes at Minimum Wage/young workers rate and notes generally at main heading Children and young persons .