The government has introduced a Bill to re-organise secondary education. The main aim is to raise the school-leaving age to 16 by offering 14-year-olds a choice between nine two-year cycles, ranging from a vocationally orientated “professional” course to the more academic “classical”, via options in technology, science, and the arts.
All courses would share a common core, and have the same status. If passed, the Bill would become law from September 1995, but changes are likely to be implemented gradually. Numerous previous attempts to raise the school leaving age have all failed.
