Education for 16 - 19 Years Olds

At the age of sixteen, education is no longer compulsory. Any, one who wishes to carry on with their education within the age of 16-19, have two choices:-

.: A school sixth form.

They can stay at their present school or choose to go to another school with a sixth form. You need to be accepted by the head teacher of the school that you wish to attend. No one has the right to education after turning sixteen and without good school records, maybe refused a school place. In some areas, there are no such schools with places for sixteen to nineteen years old.

.: Further education.

Form the age 16 - 19 years old might study in the further education sector. In England and Wales, this might a sixth form college that admits pupils aged 16 to 19. Alternatively, a young person might attend a further education college. There is no age limits in such colleges as long you are above 16 years old.

Some colleges in Scotland admit pupil younger than 16, in partnership with schools. Your education department will help you with list of such colleges in your local area or you or your child may want to visit several schools before you make a choice. Parents are legally entitled to choose the school they send their children to, but this does not mean that their choice can be met. Schools can also refuse to admit a child for certain reason such as:-

• There is no place in the school.
• The admission policy says that they prefer to lake children such as those who practice a certain religion
• The school is a grammar school and selects children on the basis of their ability and
• The school is nearly full and preference is given to children who meet certain conditions.

These conditions might include having a brother or a sister already in the school or living near the school. School admissions policy should give details of the conditions used to give preference to children.

Children should not be discriminated against on the grounds of their ethnic or national origin. It is illegal to tell parents that a child cannot have a school place because they cannot speak English. The right to school education for refugee children in England and Wales is outlined in the DfEE Code of Practice o School Admission.

The local education authority is also obliged to find a school place for a child living in that area, under section 14 of the 1996 Education Act. A school place should be provided reasonably quickly. If a refugee child has to wait more than six weeks to find a place, this could be judged to be discriminatory. Parents are advice to contact their local race equality council or an organization like the advisory centre for Education or the Welsh refugee council.

.: School for children over 15 years.

Some young asylum seekers and refugees who did not arrive in the UK before 15, that means that they had arrived in the middle of GCSE or Standard Grade examination courses. Some school might be unwilling to admit such children, even though this is not legal. It is important that 15 and 16 years old arrivals attend school and college as soon as possible and that they are allowed to study on full time courses which will lead on to qualifications such as GCSEs and Standard Grades.

.: The school curriculum.

All state school must teach Mathematics. English, Science, History, Geography, Technology, Music, Art and Physical Education to all children aged five to 16 years. Children 11 to 16 must also learn a modern foreign language. Very few schools teach refugee community languages such as Arabic or Somali. Instead refugee children may attend supplementary schools run on Saturdays by refugee community groups.

Many refugee children need help to learn English, often a teacher specializing in English, as an Additional Language (EAL) will help a child. The EAL teacher usually works with the class teacher helping those children who do not speak English. If you feel that your child needs help in learning English, you should make an appointment to discuss this with the head teacher or another senior teacher.

Most school provides midday meal for the children who do not go home for lunch. There is a charge for these meals but if you are unemployed or a family receiving income support, it’s free. For more information on free meals, you should try to speak to the head teacher and you will fill in an application form, which will be stamped by the benefit agency to prove your claims. Many schools insist that children should wear uniform.

.: Problems at school.

Many children have problems at school from time to time; refugee children may feel that they do not get enough help learning English. Sometimes they are bullied, if your child is unhappy at school or has other problems it is important to discuss this with the child’s teacher by making an appointment to see him or her. If you feel that this has not helped, your can contact the head teacher or the school governor and or the local education authority.