Part I General
Chapter I The statutory system of education
Compulsory education
8 Compulsory school age.
1
Subsections (2) and (3) apply to determine for the purposes of any enactment whether a person is of compulsory school age.
F12
A person begins to be of compulsory school age—
a
when he attains the age of five, if he attains that age on a prescribed day, and
b
otherwise at the beginning of the prescribed day next following his attaining that age.
3
A person ceases to be of compulsory school age at the end of the day which is the school leaving date for any calendar year—
a
if he attains the age of 16 after that day but before the beginning of the school year next following,
b
if he attains that age on that day, or
c
(unless paragraph (a) applies) if that day is the school leaving date next following his attaining that age.
F24
The Secretary of State may by order—
a
provide that such days in the year as are specified in the order shall be, for each calendar year, prescribed days for the purposes of subsection (2);
b
determine the day in any calendar year which is to be the school leaving date for that year.