Statutory school age

All children must be in full-time education once they reach statutory school age. This starts from the term after the child’s fifth birthday.

Birthday falls between the following dates:	Date the child is statutory school age:
Turns 5 years old between 1 September and 31 December	At the beginning of the term after 1 January
Turns 5 years old between 1 January and 31 March	At the beginning of the term after 1 April
Turns 5 years old between 1 April and 31 August	At the beginning of the term after 1 September

Newcastle schools offer all children the opportunity of a whole year in reception regardless of the date when they turn 5.

School leaving age

A young person can leave school on the last Friday in June if they’ll be 16 by the end of the summer holidays.

They must then do one of the following until they’re 18:

stay in full-time education, for example at a college
start an apprenticeship or traineeship
spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training

Full-time education

All education should be suited to a child's age and ability, taking into account any special educational need. Students should receive full-time education consistent with their key stage.

Key stage	Full-time hours each week
Reception and key stage 1	21 hours
Key stage 2	23.5 hours
Key stage 3	24 hours
Key stage 4 (year 10)	24 hours
Key stage 4 (year 11)	25 hours

A part-time timetable may be suggested as a temporary measure in exceptional circumstances, such as a phased return after a medical procedure. It can only happen with your agreement.

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Statutory school age