Information » Education » In School 11-16 » Attendance
You have a right to full-time state education until your nineteenth birthday; the earliest you can leave school is at 16 - at the end of Year 11.
The official school leaving date is the last Friday in June of Year 11 - you must attend school regularly until this date.
The law states that everyone between the ages of 5 and 16 must get a full-time education. It‘s compulsory.
A lot of unexplained absence from school can go against you when you apply for jobs and other courses in the future so it‘s really important to go to school.
If you do not attend school regularly, your parents could be taken to court and fined.
Where to get help
If you are having problems in school that are causing you to be absent try to talk to your parents or teachers about it. Read our article on bunking off.
If you are being bullied read our article on bullying for tips on how to deal with this.
If you can‘t talk to anyone at home or in school you could call Childline on 0800 1111.
